The Journey to Completion
by hook617
Summary: After Emma and Killian receive some life changing news, Killian and David must travel back to the Enchanted Forest. Meanwhile, Regina takes advantage of their absence. (Sequel to FINDING LOVE)
1. Chapter 1

Emma reached for the alarm clock and ended up smacking it so hard that it fell on the floor. How did Monday get here so fast? Emma groaned and pressed her face in the pillow. She was in no mood to get up. A warm arm wrapped around her stomach and felt a warm kiss on her cheek.

"Good morning, beautiful," Killian said, giving her more kisses on her cheek and neck. "In no mood to get up I take it?" Emma gave another groan and rolled over to lay her head on his chest.

"Can either we just stay here or you go in for me this morning for me?" Emma said, burying her face in his chest. Killian chuckled softly and played with her hair.

"Being around your father when he has a gun on him probably isn't the most ideal situation," Killian said.

"No, you'd be fine. It's if he had a sword, then you'd be in trouble," Emma said with a smile. She gave him a kiss and started to get out of bed. It was then that she noticed that there was rose petals leading from her bed over to her dresser, which had a small wrapped present on it. Emma looked back at Killian, who just shrugged with a smile. Emma ran over and opened her present. It was a small sapphire heart necklace on a thin gold chain. Killian appeared behind her and kissed her neck as Emma looked at the necklace.  
"Happy Anniversary, darling," Killian said. Emma turned in his arms and gave him a kiss.

"Happy Anniversary, Captain," she said. "It's beautiful, thank you. Where did you get it?"

"Well, the stone is actually from Neverland. I had Bashful cut it down to make it into a necklace for me," Killian said. Emma nuzzled his nose and laid her forehead against his.

"When did Captain Hook get so romantic?" Emma asked. Killian pulled her closer to him and tilted her head up for a kiss. Neither of them could believe it- a whole year of marriage. It had been like a dream for both of them. Well, not that it didn't have it's events as only Storybrooke could have, but they faced everything together. As Killian said a long time ago- they did make a good team. As they got ready to go downstairs, the smell of bacon filled the room. "Did you make me breakfast?"

"Actually, I didn't," Killian said. The two exited their room and looked over the railing to see Henry in the kitchen.

"Happy Anniversary!" He said, looking up at them. "I made waffles with bacon!"

"Thanks, lad," Killian said, starting down the stairs.

"It smells great!" Emma said, kissing Henry's forehead. The three of them sat down at the table and enjoyed their breakfast together. After they finished, Henry insisted on taking the dishes to the sink. "Henry, you are spoiling us!"

"It's your 1st anniversary!" Henry said with a smile.

"What can we do to thank you, mate?" Killian asked.

"Can we go sailing tonight?" Henry asked. Killian agreed and Henry rushed to get his things together for school. Emma came over and sat down on Killian's lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Mary-Margaret & David were going to take Henry for dinner so we could go out, but we can pick him up afterwards to go sailing. Is that okay?"

"Sure, darling. Where did you want to go?" Killian asked.

"I have some surprises of my own, you know," Emma said, giving him a kiss and started to get off his lap. Killian pulled her back for a much slower kiss.

"You know, maybe we should just stay home all day. Having a year of marriage to a pirate is definitely something to celebrate," Killian said with a wink. Emma ran her fingers through his hair and gave him another kiss before getting up to go get ready herself.

"Come on, pirate. Let's get this day over with so we can celebrate later," Emma said with a wink.

* * *

Killian arrived at The Golden Apple, one of Storybrooke's fancier restaurants, at 5pm sharp as Emma instructed. Also as instructed, he wore a suit. Although Killian was growing more comfortable wearing Storybrooke clothes, he still wore his pirate clothes occasionally. He always said he looked odd wearing 'normal clothes' with his hook. But tonight, he looked incredibly handsome in his suit, his dark blue tie bringing out the color of his eyes. He entered the restaurant and was greeted by the hostess. She showed him to a table where Emma was already seated. She stood and greeted him with a hug. She was wearing a long blue dress, which matched the necklace that he'd given her perfectly.

"You look incredible, darling," he said, giving her a kiss and helping her back into her chair.

"You look very handsome yourself, Captain," Emma said, admiring him. The hostess left them and one of the waiters brought them some wine.

"Well, I'm going to have to dig into my emergency gold for this place," Killian joked. Emma let out a small chuckle and reached out to hold his hand. "This was a great idea, Emma, thank you." Emma pushed the small box that was on the table towards him. Killian eyed it. "This looks like the box I gave you earlier."

"Actually, it is." Killian unwrapped it slowly.

"Now, I know you're not re-gifting, because you're clearly wearing my present. And I'm not the gold necklace type so I don't know what this could..." Killian looked down in confusion and held up the contents of the box. "I actually don't know what this is." Emma smiled as tears of joy filled her eyes.

"It's a pregnancy test." Killian froze as he stared at it.

"And...um...that little plus sign would mean..."

"Killian, I'm pregnant," Emma said through her tears. A smile exploded on Killian's face and he jumped out of his chair to embrace her. He kissed her and then felt her stomach.

"How? When?"

"How?" Emma said with a laugh.

"Well," Killian shrugged with a grin as they sat back down. He did not want to let go of her hand as she filled him in on all the details.

"I just found out a yesterday, but I confirmed it with Dr. Whale this morning. I'm about six weeks along," Emma said. Killian looked slightly disappointed.

"I would have gone with you," he said. Emma held his hook and looked at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to be sure and surprise you. Is that okay?"

"Okay? We're having a baby! I'm wonderful, darling!" Killian leaned across the table and kissed her again. He remembered the wine and put it on the other side of the table. "None of this for you, sweetheart." Emma laughed and took a sip of water. They enjoyed their dinner, talking about their coming child and about Henry. Emma voiced how she was nervous at how Henry would take it, but Killian assured her that Henry had a good heart, and no matter what, he would love his little brother or sister. After dinner, they went to the marina to meet Henry, Mary-Margaret and David. As they waited, they stood on the dock, wrapped in each other's arms. Killian tilted Emma's head towards him and kissed her, pouring all the love in his heart into the kiss. They truly couldn't be happier.

* * *

A few weeks later, Emma, Killian and Henry were lead into a small examining room. As Emma got up on the examination bench, Killian sat in the chair at the end of the bench. Since there was only one chair, Henry sat in Killian's lap. Killian tried to distract them all with stories as they waited for the ultrasound technician to come in the room.

"We were about to sail away when a mermaid swam to the surface. My crew ran to the side of the boat, completely entranced by her beauty, when suddenly Mr. Smee realized she was holding..." he stopped when the technician came in the room.

"Hello, my name is Stephanie. I see from your chart that you're about nine weeks along?" the nurse said as she began to get Emma and the machine ready.

"Who were you back in the Enchanted Forest?" Henry asked, which happened to be his favorite thing to ask.

"I lived in the kingdom under King Maurice and Princess Belle," she said simply. Killian looked a little guilty. Even after a year, Belle still had not retrieved her memories. It was one of his great regrets. Although he made good on his offer to help with payments, Gold insisted on paying for all her treatments himself. Killian did, however, pay Archie for an extra hour of therapy after her memory retrieval sessions privately, to which Archie only quoted Gold for the one session out of respect to Killian. His thoughts focused back to the event at hand when the room suddenly flooded with the sound of a heartbeat. "There you go, good and strong," Stephanie said as she waved the ultrasound wand over Emma's stomach. Emma looked over at Killian, whose eyes started to fill up with tears. The smile on Henry's face couldn't be larger.

"Is that the baby?" Henry asked, pointing at the center of the screen. Stephanie stared hard at the screen, then looked at Emma.

"Actually, it's the babies," she said, turning the screen more toward her. "See, there's one, and there's two."

"TWO?!" Killian exclaimed.

"Well, my father is a twin," Emma said.

"Those things tend to run in the family," Stephanie explained. Both Killian and Emma were frozen, but Henry was jumping around the room. They'd have two babies, three children! Emma reached for Killian's hand, which he took and squeezed it. Life was definitely going to get more adventurous.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe it- twins!" Emma said as they got ready for bed. Killian sat on the edge of the bed in silence. Emma sat down next to him and put her hand on his leg. "Hey, are you okay?" Killian looked down and played with his hook.

"Yeah, I just..." He started as he took his hook off and put it on the nightstand. "Two babies. I'd say we're going to have our hands full, but I can only offer one hand. You're the one who's going to have their hands full." He sighed and laid down on the bed. Emma cuddled in behind him and wrapped her arm around him.

"I thought you didn't care that you had one hand," Emma said.

"I didn't, until I thought about us having a baby. I wouldn't want to hurt it. Now we're having two. How can I help with two babies with only one hand?"

"We'll work it out, we always do," Emma said, playing with his hair. Killian sighed and closed his eyes.

"What if...what if I could have two hands?" Killian asked.

"I don't know how you could...no," Emma said, sitting up. "You don't need magic." Killian sat up in bed.

"Gold healed Dr. Whale's arm. What if he could fix me?"

"You'd have to do some sort of deal with him. And not to state the obvious, Killian, but you're not his favorite person. I don't know what he'd ask from you if you wanted his help," Emma said, sitting up with him. Killian sighed and absentmindedly rubbed his stump with his other hand. Emma put her hands on his and rubbed his bad arm.

"We'll get through this together," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Killian gave her a small smile, but he was still lost in thought. All he could think about was holding his babies- one in each arm.

* * *

Killian woke up to an empty bed next to him. He looked up to see the bathroom door closed. He got up from the bed and gently knocked on the door. "Emma, are you okay?"

"Yeah," came a voice from the other side weakly. Killian slowly opened the door and poked his head in. Emma was sitting on the floor with her head against the tile wall. Killian came down to sit on the floor with her and she put her head in his lap. "I didn't miss this part."

"Are you ill?" Killian asked as he rubbed her back.

"No, I didn't get sick. I just feel horrible and nauseous," Emma said, curling up to him a little more. As Killian rubbed her lower back, Emma tensed a little.

"Emma, what..." he pulled her shirt up a little to see a long scratch along her back. "Where did you get that?" Emma looked up at him with hurt in her eyes. "Don't tell me I did that to you."

"We both fell asleep two nights ago before you remembered to take your hook off. You reached out for me and scratched me in your sleep. I took it off for you," Emma said. "It was an accident. You would never hurt me." Killian leaned his head back in disappointment.

"Have I ever done that before?" Emma looked away from him. "How many times?"

"I don't know. Maybe two or three- but they were all accidents, Killian. You're always so careful and I knew it would hurt you to know," Emma said. Killian rubbed his face in frustration.

"Emma, this thing is like a loaded gun! I never want to hurt you or Henry or the babies," Killian said, tears coming to his eyes. Emma slowly got up from his lap and put a hand on his cheek.

"It's okay. We'll ask Dr. Whale if he can get you a prosthetic," Emma said.

"No! I don't want that," Killian said, looking away.

"What do you want?" Emma asked, stroking his cheek. Killian looked into her eyes and a tear fell onto his cheek. Emma wiped the tear away with her thumb, pressed her forehead to his, and they simply held each other.

* * *

Killian waited for Henry to get out of school, sharpening his hook as he waited. Normally, it was just a way to pass the time, but he focused on his hook, sharpening it in frustration. He thought of what kind of person he would be like if he didn't have his hook. What if Gold didn't chop off his hand? He probably would have tried to revenge Milah, but losing his hand to him made the insult deeper. It had been a constant reminder of how he lost so much of himself in one moment. But if he hadn't have lost his hand, would he have met Emma? He was told at some point in his life that fate is inevitable, meaning he would have been a vengeful pirate that would have his heart turned around by an incredible woman. But to have two hands...it was all he could think about.

"Hey Killian," Henry said, interrupting his thoughts. Killian stretched out his arm and put it around Henry's shoulder, tucking the sharpener away with his hook. He absentmindedly kept his hook in his satchel as they walked. Henry could tell that Killian was off, but he didn't want to pry. As they walked, Henry gave Killian a playful bump, which only emitted a half smile down to him. Must be serious, Henry thought. It was then he noticed that to top off Killian's defeated posture, his hook was buried away, like he was ashamed of it. Henry knew. "Maybe Regina can fix it," Henry said. Killian looked down at him in confusion.

"Fix what, lad?"

"Your hand," Henry said.

"You are too smart, mate," Killian said, putting an arm around him. "I don't think Regina or Cora would lift a finger to help me, even if you asked them."

"There's magic here now. Somebody's gotta be able to help you," Henry stated. Killian thought for a moment- maybe there was.

"Mate, why don't you get a cup of cocoa from Granny's," Killian said, handing him some money as they stopped in front of the diner. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Where are you going?" Henry asked as he put the money in his pocket.

"I'll be back in five minutes," Killian said as he ushered him inside.

* * *

Killian slowly entered the pawn shop. He was a bit nervous. He made a point never to enter, in fact, to avoid Gold completely. Although Gold promised his son that he would never hurt Killian, Emma or Henry, Killian wasn't going to take his chances in making him mad. In fact, he wasn't going to take the chance of letting his guard down and starting something first. Killian looked at the mobile hanging up in the shop and reached his hand up to touch one of the crystal unicorns.

"You break it, you buy it," Gold said from behind him. Killian whipped around to see Gold enter from the back room. "That's a very rare piece, very expensive. But for you, I'll triple the price." Killian cleared his throat and approached the counter.

"I've um...come to ask you...," Killian started. Gold just narrowed his eyes at him. "Is it possible that you could...restore my hand?" Gold laughed and clicked his cane on the ground.

"What an interesting question. Can the man who took your hand give it back to you? I thought you took pride in the reminder of your hand. Why the sudden interest in restoring rotting appendages?" Gold looked at the mobile then back at Killian. "Ahh...yes. The approaching bundles of joy. I heard whispers there were two. Well, my dear Captain. This would be an epic deal indeed."

"What do you want?" Gold began to pace the floor.

"How about your ship in ashes?"

"No, we need my ship to go home someday," Killian said. It was true. Once the beans matured, Killian's ship could take a majority of the town back to Storybrooke. Killian agreed it would be one of the keys to help getting everyone home. "Do you want to jeopardize the town just to see my sorrow?

"Well, if you're going to be noble," Gold said. "There is a ring that Milah wore. It matches the one on your hand, only with a red stone." Killian looked down at his ring with the blue stone. "I'll take Milah's ring for the answer. I know you carry it with you." Killian took Milah's ring out of the satchel and looked at Gold.

"What does it do?" Killian asked.

"It's just a ring, Captain. Do we have a deal or not?" Killian looked back down at Milah's ring. He remembered when he gave it to her. It was their promise to each other to be in each other's hearts forever. Killian sighed- he had more things at stake than a memory. He handed the ring over to Gold, who quickly snatched it up and put it in his pocket. "I kept your hand." Killian's eyes grew dark with anger.

"What?"

"I always keep a trophy of my conquests. You should relate, pirate. I used a preservation spell to keep it good as new. I kept it as a reminder- of how you took my wife, that you tricked me, how you took my chance to get to my son sooner." Gold said, advancing towards Killian with every step. "And now, thanks to me, all it takes is magic for you to have two working hands again."

"I take it you want another deal," Killian said.

"Oh, it's not that simple, Captain. Your hand is not in this world," Gold said. "It's in my castle."

"The dark castle?"

"Yes, Hook. It's back in our home land. I didn't bring it because I knew if by chance you were brought over to, I wanted it as far away from you as possible. Good luck getting it," Gold said, going towards the back room.

"Wait!" Killian said. Gold turned back to him. Killian took a bag of gold coins and laid them on the counter. "I will take the mobile."


	3. Chapter 3

Emma returned home to what seemed to be an empty house. Henry and Killian should be home already. "Hello?" Emma called up the stairs as she took off her jacket.

"We're upstairs," Henry called. Emma went up to her room to find Henry & Killian putting the finishing touches on the twin bassinets. Over the two of them hung the crystal mobile. "Look what we did!" Emma was so touched. She gave Henry a hug and leaned over to give Killian a kiss.

"I love it. But isn't this a little early? We still have a good seven months left," Emma said.

"We were too excited," Killian said, crouching on the floor and tightening a screw with his hook. "Do you like it?" he asked, gesturing towards the mobile.

"It's gorgeous. Where did you get it?"

"From Mr. Gold," Henry said. Emma looked at Killian in surprise.

"You went into the pawn shop to buy something?" Killian just nodded, not looking at her. Emma turned his face towards hers and he gave her a sort of puppy-dog look. "What are you up to?"

"Mate, why don't you go call for pizza?" Killian said to Henry. You didn't need to ask him twice- Henry bolted downstairs. "I...um...went to ask about my hand."

"Killian, we talked about this. You don't need to..."

"He has it," Killian said, cutting her off with a hint of anger in his voice. Emma looked at him in disbelief as he got up from the floor.

"Your hand? Wouldn't it be..."

"He used a preservation spell. It's as good as new and ready to be attached." Emma tried to take this all in.

"That's great, but...what deal did he want?"

"No deal. It doesn't matter, it's not in this world. It wasn't brought over with the rest of his trophies," Killian said, tightening another screw. "The beans aren't mature for another couple years. I can't use them to travel between lands yet." Emma sat on the bed to think while Killian unnecessarily tightened more screws. Portals in this world were hard to come by, and if it was known you had one, there were a lot of people who would want to go home. Portals...

"Jefferson."

"Who?"

"Jefferson. The Mad Hatter. He has a ton of hats. Now that magic is in Storybrooke, maybe we can get one to work," Emma said.

"Is that something he's willing to just hand over?"

"It's worth a shot," Emma said.

* * *

Emma pulled her yellow bug up to Jefferson's mansion. Killian looked over the mansion in wonderment. He's seen big houses in Storybrooke, but never this big.

"And you know this guy? You probably should have married him," Killian joked, which got him a playful slap from Emma. Killian got out of the car then went around to the other side to let Emma out. It's not something that she would have thought she enjoyed, but Killian insisted that she needs to at least give him some chances at being chivalrous. She was secretly enjoying it. Killian took her hand as they walked the steps to Jefferson's mansion. Emma pushed the doorbell and was greeted with a haunting chime of bells.

"Ahhh, Emma. It's so good to see you again. Can I offer you some tea?" Jefferson said, opening the door. Emma tensed, and Killian noticed and eyed Jefferson suspiciously. "I see Emma hasn't told you much about me. I'm mad, you see." Jefferson gave Killian a crazy look and Emma just rolled her eyes.

"Save it, Jefferson," Emma said.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of Storybrooke's most enchanting couple?"

"We'd like to buy a hat from you." Jefferson folded his arms.

"Buy a hat? One of my failed hats?"

"The one I made," Emma said. Jefferson looked at her suspiciously.

"So now you want to make it work. Why?"

"We need something from back home," Killian said. Jefferson smiled.

"Whatever it is, if you're desperate enough to be honest, you must be desperate enough to do anything for it," Jefferson said. Both Killian and Emma let out a sigh.

"What do you want?"

"Well, if you're going back home, would you be so kind as to bring me back some sugar-berries?"

"Why?" Killian asked.

"Because my daughter loves them," Jefferson said.

"I guess that would be okay," Killian said.

"Good luck finding them. They are very rare," Jefferson said to me.

"That's the second time I've heard 'Good Luck finding it.' I'm a pirate- of course I'll find it!" Killian said, mostly to himself. Jefferson went into another room and returned with a leather hat box- much nicer than his old brown one. He took the hat out and twirled it in his hands.

"Portal jumping has a lot of risks, so just some things you should know. However many people enter the hat must return. Two go in, two go back. Also, since this hat was made here, it's always going to want to return here. So if you want to go in and plan to stay, the hat isn't going to let you do that," Jefferson explained. "And one more thing- make sure you know which door to return through. You pick the wrong one and, well, don't mess up." Jefferson put the hat back in the box and handed it to them. Emma thanked Jefferson, and they quickly went to leave the mansion. As they got in the car, Killian examined the hat as it sat in his lap.

"So, how do you think we can get it to work?" Emma asked as she started up the car.

"I have a theory. Let's go pay someone a visit," Killian said.

* * *

"What do you want, Pirate?" Anton yelled across the field. Killian went around the side of the car to help Emma out of the driver's seat. Anton smiled and waved at her. "Oh, Emma! It's good to see you."

"Hey, Anton. How's the crop?" Emma asked as Killian took her hand as they walked across the field.

"It's looking good this year. The beans are growing quite nicely. I think all the rain we've been getting has really helped. But because this world doesn't have enough magic like our world has, they're maturing slowly," Anton said, showing them a bean pod. The beans looked very green, but they were still very small and not the crystal blue they were supposed to be. They still looked like regular beans, just on a thicker stalk.

"Well, you're doing a great job," Killian said, slapping Anton on the back. Anton grimaced at him. Although he liked Killian a little better, their first meeting wasn't the best, and giants never forget.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of this visit," Anton said, smiling at Emma.

"We need your help."

"Anything, Emma." Emma held the hat out to Anton.

"I know this might not be your area of expertise, but you do know something about portals. There was a hat like this one that used to be a portal, but it was destroyed. The portal jumper who owned it thought I could make this one work. Can you think of any way we could get this hat to work?" Anton took the hat from Emma and examined it. He felt the brim and the lining, turning it over as he did so.

"I've seen a hat or two like this with the portal travelers. It looks the same. The stitching in particular feels like it holds the right enchanted codes for portal jumping," Anton said as he continued to look it over.

"Thank you!" Emma blurted out. Although she was a little embarrassed that escaped her lips, she was a little proud that she might have created a portal. Killian winked at her and pulled her closer by her waist. Anton slowly moved his hand down the side of the hat.

"I'm not feeling any travel vibrations from the hat. We probably just need to add some magic," Anton said and handed the hat to Killian.

"Thanks for your expertise, Giant. Do you have a half a cup of magic we could borrow," Killian joked. Anton glared at Killian.

"Watch it, pirate!"

"Do you have any idea where we could start?" Emma asked, trying to defuse Anton. Anton went over to one of the larger stalks and cut off a bean pod. He handed it to Emma and closed it in her hand.

"I'm...um...not as good at this as my brother Arlo was, but you might be able to charge the beans enough that when you drop them into the hat, it'll absorb the magic," Anton explained.

"Me?"

"You're the savior, right? You've got magic in you," Anton encouraged. Emma nodded and gripped the beans in her hand. "Okay. I remember Arlo used to say- think of a moment you felt magic run through you and focus on it." Emma looked at Killian then focused on the bean in her hand. She closed her eyes and the bean in her hand started to glow. Just as it started to get so bright that Killian and Anton couldn't look at it anymore, Emma dropped the bean pod into the hat on the ground. The hat instantly started to swirl, and Killian grabbed it before it gained momentum.

"I think you did it," Killian said. "Can she do that with all the beans?"

"I wouldn't," Anton said. "The beans aren't mature yet. The hat may work, but I don't want to make any promises at how long it'll last. If you want to use that portal, you might want to do it soon."


	4. Chapter 4

Killian, Henry & Emma sat in the booth at Granny's waiting for David and Snow to arrive. Ruby came to their table and placed two hot chocolates with cinnamon and a hot cidar in front of them. Although Killian wanted a beer to help them get through this conversation, he didn't like drinking in front of Henry. Killian tapped his hook on the table out of nervousness, to which Emma laid a hand on the curve of it. Snow and David entered the diner and joined them in the booth.

"You sounded urgent on the phone. What's up?" David asked. Emma and Killian exchanged glances, and Killian nodded.

"We got the portal to work. Killian is going to go through," Emma explained.

"What portal? Why?" Snow asked.

"It's a hat from Jefferson. I have some things to take care of. I have to go to the Dark Forest, then to Lake Nostos" Killian said.

"Lake Nostos? It's dried up," David said.

"But Cora opened up the water again, so something might be there," Snow explained. David stiffened a little. With the exception of Henry, everyone in their family had been home since the curse lifted except for him.

"I'm going with you," David said. Killian and Emma looked at him confused. "I've been to Lake Nostos before. I can help you get there."

"I've been there too, mate, and have a great sense of direction. I'm going alone," Killian said. "We only asked you here so you would know what was going on."

"I think you're forgetting about something important- Emma," David replied.

"What do I have to do with it?" Emma asked. David continued to look towards Killian.

"Your wife is pregnant and I'm going to make sure that they have a father when they get here. You might be able to handle it on your own, but I want to make sure that you come home," David said. Killian nodded. It was clear there would be no arguing with David.

"I'll stay with Emma and Henry," Snow said.

"Thanks. I could use some baby advice while you're there," Emma said, which made Snow smile only a little. Snow was nervous that she wouldn't be of much help to Emma. She didn't have the time to be a mother, what advice could she offer her?

"When do we leave?" David asked.

"Tomorrow morning," Killian said. They talked over plans as they ate. David was very excited about going back to the Enchanted Forest. Snow and Emma were obviously nervous, but Emma knew that there would be no stopping Killian in his quest.

As they were leaving and about to get in the bug, Killian's phone started to ring. Emma looked at him in confusion. Although he had consented to getting one out of necessity, Emma was really one of the few who called him. It was extremely rare for him to get a phone call. He held up one finger as he took the call before he got in the car. "Hello? Yes, thanks for returning my call...You will? I owe you one, thank you," Killian said before hanging up the phone.

"Who was that?" Emma said, eyeing him.

"Insurance," Killian said.

* * *

"Neal!" Henry exclaimed as he opened the door and hugged his biological father. In the past year, Neal had made true on his promise to get to know Henry. Emma and Killian were very open to Neal and Henry keeping in touch, and Neal was very respectful to them in turn. He was a part of the family now. Killian shook Neal's hand as he entered.  
"Thank you for coming," Killian said, taking Neal's bag with his hook and shaking his hand.

"Sure, I don't mind," Neal said, sitting on the couch. Henry brought Neal his latest school project and Emma pulled Killian aside.

"Why did you call Neal?" Emma asked.

"I told you- insurance. I don't trust leaving you and Henry unprotected," Killian explained. "With David and I gone, I wanted to make sure someone was here for you."

"Mary-Margaret is here," Emma said.

"Yes, but I'm more worried about Gold. And Regina won't come after you if Neal's here- she's afraid of what Gold might do to her if something happens to his son. Trust me, it's for the best," Killian explained.

"And where will he be staying," Emma asked nervously.

"I heard the apartment below you is currently vacant. I'm renting it from my father, for now. We've got it all covered," Neal said, looking up from Henry's book.

"What exactly do you think is going to happen while you're away?" Emma asked Killian, who shrugged.

"I'm not one for taking chance," he said. He looked down at her stomach and rubbed it a little. "Even more so than ever."

* * *

As they got ready for bed that night, Emma and Killian didn't say much. Emma was thinking too much about what might happen to Killian and her father on the other side of the Enchanted Forest. And ogres might be the least of their problems. Who knows what Rumplestiltskin might have done to his castle to protect it. There were too many unknown factors. Emma unconsciously rubbed her stomach. She kept thinking about the two little ones inside her, praying that they would see their father. Emma also knew that Killian was doing this for them. He wanted to be 100% there for them, and if that meant facing danger for them to get his hand back, he would. Emma slipped under the covers and nibbled on some crackers as Killian finished getting ready for bed. She didn't want to bring up how she was feeling, the first trimester can be pretty rough, but she didn't want to make him feel guilty for leaving. But of course, he noticed. As he slipped into bed, his hand went straight for her stomach and rubbed it.

"Are you sure I can go? I don't want to leave you if your pregnancy is making you feel sick," Killian said.

"I'm fine," Emma said as she finished her cracker. Killian looked into her eyes and his blue eyes softened.

"Emma..."

"It's okay. Today took a lot of me, and I'll probably pay for it in the morning, but my Mom will be here. And I'm sure if I'm feeling really bad, Neal can take Henry for a couple hours while I get some rest," Emma said. "Really, I can do this. And when you come back, you can rub my feet." Killian's smile grew larger.

"When I come back, I will rub whatever you want, darling," he said, raising his eyebrows at her. Emma's smile grew equally large and she pulled him in closer for a kiss. As he was receiving signals from her that she wanted more than a kiss, he pulled back a little. "Are you sure you're up for this? I don't want to make you feel worse." Emma leaned farther back in her pillow and pulled him with her.

"You're leaving tomorrow. I want to be with you," she said, kissing his neck. Killian surrendered and pulled back to capture her lips again, memorizing every inch of her.

"Believe me, darling, I will fly back to you if I have to," he said. With that, the two melted into each other, focusing only on their love for each other.


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone decided to meet in the library. Since Belle was currently staying under Ruby's care in one of Granny's hotel rooms, plans for the library opening were put on hold. It was a spacious place with privacy that they could give the hat a try. As Snow and David approached the library, Snow looked up in despair at the clock tower. The clock face had been boarded up since Johanna's tragedy, and the unrepaired clock tower was a constant reminder of Snow's inability to protect her dear friend. David put a reassuring arm around her.

"I hope I can protect everyone while you're gone," Snow said, not taking her eyes off the clock tower. David kissed her temple and pulled her closer.

"You always protect our family. I just swing a sword around," David said, giving her a smile. Snow managed a half smile and put her arms around him.

"Your sword is great, but I need you. Please come home safe," Snow said. David promised her as he kissed her, wiping a tear away from her cheek with his thumb. Killian, Emma, Henry and Neal were already in the library when they arrived. Henry ran at David and gave him a hug.

"Gramps, can I come with you, please?" David looked at Emma and Killian, who were shaking their heads no. David lowered himself to Henry's eye level.

"I take it you've been begging your Mom?" Henry nodded. "Sorry, kid. But I promise- when we're all able to leave Storybrooke, I'll show you every inch of my kingdom." This made Henry smile, but Snow and Emma tensed a bit. Neither of them were 100% sure about going back, but also knew that they wanted their family together. That was a thought for another time, but for now, they needed to wish their men farewell. Henry hugged David again and went back to Killian.

"You take care of your Mom. You're the man of the house while I'm gone," Killian said, ruffling his hair. "And your Dad will be in the apartment right below you if you need anything." Henry lunged at Killian, holding him tight.

"You're my Dad too," Henry whispered in his ear. "Please come home soon." Killian gave him a squeeze and tried to hide the tear in his eye. As they parted, Henry gave Killian a salute. "Safe seas, Captain."

"Good form, Mate," Killian said. Henry stood by Neal, who put his arm around him.

"I'll take care of them," Neal said to Killian, who nodded in response. Killian turned towards Emma and everyone else turned away a little to give them some privacy. Killian rubbed her belly and looked into her eyes.

"I promise I'll come home," he said. Emma held back tears as she pulled him in for a kiss. They didn't want to talk about the dangers, they had done that enough when they discussed their plans. Not wanting to drag out their goodbye, they gave each other one last hug and joined the others, not letting go of each other's hand just yet. David and Snow had brought a lot of canteens and goat-skin bags for the water from Lake Nostos.

"Do you think this will be enough to bring back Belle and Sneezy's memories?" Snow asked, placing the last canteen over David's shoulder.

"If it doesn't, I'll be surprised. I just want to bring back a good supply just in case anyone needs it. Maybe it will also help the beans grow. Who knows if the portal will work for more than just our journey," David said.

"If that," Neal said. All eyes glared at him. "What? Anton said the bean's magic wasn't matured yet. I want you guys to come back, but let's be realistic. It might only have enough for a one way trip."

"If it does, we'll just have to find something to recharge it," David said, picking up the hat box. Killian threw his pack over his back and gave Emma's hand one quick squeeze before letting go. Killian took that hat out of the box and handed it to Emma.

"You do the honors, love," he said, presenting her with the hat. "You remember our plan?"

"You think you can accomplish everything in three days," Emma asked. Both David and Killian nodded. "Okay. Three days it is." With that, she spun the hat as she tossed it to the floor. The room filled with purple smoke as a swirling pit appeared in the middle of the floor. Neal unconsciously pulled Henry closer to him and backed away from the pit as memories of his own portal flashed into his mind. Snow stood next to Emma as they stared at their men from across the portal.

"I love you," David called.

"I love you too," Snow replied.

"Thank you, Emma," Killian said. Emma smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Safe seas, Captain," Emma said, a tear filling her eye. David and Killian nodded at each other and jumped into the swirling pool together. Everyone watched as their heroes were swallowed up into the purple smoke before the library floor once again appeared. No hat, no Killian, and no David.

* * *

Killian and David fell onto a white and black checkered floor. There were doors all around them in a circular pattern. As they started to get up, the floor began to buckle and swell under them, causing them to fight to keep their balance.

"What's going on?" David called to Killian.

"Anton said the magic may not be mature yet. We must move quickly. There's the door- over there," Killian answered back, pointing towards an old wooden door with ivy covering the frame.

"Are you sure?"

"I've been through that door before," Killian said.

"But which one takes us home?" David asked. Now that, he didn't know. Both of them looked around, but the floor was starting to move so greatly, it was hard to really inspect each door.

"We'll have to worry about that later- we don't have much time," Killian yelled. Both of them stumbled towards the door to the Enchanted Forest, trying desperately not to fall over or lose their packs. As they reached the door, David kicked open the door and they both jumped through the portal, landing on their faces. Behind them, the door swirled and melted into the form of a top hat. David collected himself first, folding the hat up and putting it in his pack.

"Hopefully that won't happen on the way back," David said. Killian got up off the ground and dusted himself off. The Enchanted Forest was just as deserted as when Killian left it before, only it seemed more green, more full of promise. David, on the other hand, was dismayed at the sight. His kingdom, empty. Where would he even start to rebuild? He was shaken from his thoughts by Killian slapping his back.

"Come, our first stop- the Dark Castle," he said, taking the magic compass out and following the direction. David put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Wait, you're going the wrong way," David said. "The Dark Castle is in the Forbidden Mountains, which is East." Killian looked at him with annoyance.

"I think the curse affected your memory more than you realize. The Forbidden Mountains are North, which is this direction," Killian said, pointing with his hook. "Besides, I have a magic compass, what do you have, your majesty?"

"I know my own kingdom," David snapped, grabbing the compass out of Killian's hand. The arrow spun and pointed in a different direction. "See? It's pointing East." Killian took the compass back and the arrow reset to it's original position.

"I believe I said MAGIC compass. It's pointing towards what I'm seeking, and that would be in that direction," Killian explained. "I'm guessing what you desire is your castle, your majesty, which is indeed East. But I don't have the time for nostalgic visits." Killian went off in the direction of the Forbidden Mountains. "And you also might want to trust me or this is going to be a long trip." David grunted and caught up to Killian, speeding his stride so he was slightly in front of him. Killian sighed as he read David's stance and stride. A long trip indeed.

* * *

Regina threw open the door to Gold's shop, causing a vase to fall and break. Gold looked up in annoyance, then went back to his work cleaning a glass unicorn. "That will be $45, Madam Mills," he said, not looking back up at her. She smacked the glass horse out of his hand and it smashed on the floor. "Now it's $245."

"Someone opened a portal. I can feel it," Regina said, leaning on the counter and staring him down. "What are they up to?"

"I can honestly say they did this on their own with no help from me," Gold replied, pushing some of the broken glass around with his cane. "Why are you so worried, dearie?"

"Other than there were no known portals before- why are people leaving Storybrooke?" Gold smiled and picked up another object.

"I suspect they are doing a little...preparation for the birth of the pirate twins," Gold said. "Hook was very interested to hear that I've been saving, let's just say, an object of his. I'm sure he's eagerly searching for it." Regina started to smile.

"So Hook is out of town, leaving his family unprotected. That's not very wise of him," Regina stated.

"He was wise enough to call my son. He's staying in town for a while- Henry is under his protection," Gold said, gritting his teeth a little to let Regina know that Neal was under Gold's protection. Regina took a small gulp before beginning to pace and look out the window. It was then she saw all of them leave the library.

"It seems he took a certain prince with him," Regina said slyly. "It looks like he left his wife unprotected."

"Regina, whatever you're concocting, I'd advise against it. They are planning to return," Gold said.

"Planning, yes. Accomplishing is another matter. And whatever I might be planning, I don't think Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum will be a problem," Regina replied as she headed towards the door.

"No, but maybe I will be," Gold stated, causing Regina to freeze in her tracks.

"You?"

"Bae is my son, Henry's my grandson, and Emma is family now. You hurt them- you'll have to deal with me."

"But Mary-Margaret, Prince Charming and Hook not related to you. Can I have your permission to hurt them?" she asked sarcastically. Gold gave her a cold hard look.

"Out of respect for Emma and Henry, I have to say no. As much as I'd love to say yes for Hook," Gold said. "You've been warned, Regina."

"No, this is your warning, Rumple- stay out of my way," Regina said, knocking over a lamp on her way out.

"$315!" Gold called after her. Gold looked around his shop. _I'm going to need to find someone to sweep up_, he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina used her skeleton keys to enter the loft. It took a simple wave of her hand to get past the deadbolt that August had built. Honestly, that man must have had sawdust in his head to think a piece of wood could keep her out. But then again, that was before she had her magic back. As she entered the loft, the first thing that caught her eye was a family picture of Killian, Emma and Henry on an end table next to the couch. She picked it up and inspected it. Henry was hanging off a beam of the Jolly Roger while Killian and Emma were posed beneath them, all of them with large smiles across their faces. Regina's blood boiled inside. Henry was her happiness, and he had been stolen from her. This cookie-cutter family picture wouldn't be anything without her. If it wasn't for her, Henry could still be in the foster system, Emma would still be picking up jail runners and Hook would still be chasing revenge. She kept Henry safe and healthy- but who thanked her or even saw her as Henry's true mother? No one! Regina placed the picture back on the table and resumed her search. She opened a draw with loose pictures and flipped through them, taking the pictures out that she needed. She then proceeded to Henry's room, taking the dreamcatcher out of his window. Neal had given Henry the dream catcher months ago when he told him the true story of him and Emma. Regina adjusted the curtains so maybe no one would notice for a little while. As she started to walk out of Henry's room, she picked up a shirt that had been discarded on the floor. She raised it to her nose and smelled it. She missed the way Henry smelled, the way he left his clothes and shoes all over the floor, the way he could always bring out a smile in her at the end of the day. Now she was alone in her house day after day, clean as can be, but no joy in it. She clenched the items she needed in her hand, including Henry's shirt, took one look around to make sure everything looked untouched, and relocked the loft. A sly smile crept on her face as she walked down the stairs and slipped the items in her purse. Too easy.

* * *

David and Killian threw what firewood they could together and found safe ground to camp. With fewer humans in the kingdom, they found more ogres than ever. They had managed to avoid them, for now, but darkness was their hunting time, so they were very cautious. David had managed to catch a small wild pig and began to roast it over the fire. Killian took the compass out of the satchel and watched the arrow begin to spin.

"What's it doing? I thought we were heading the right direction," David said as he continued to prepare their dinner.

"I guess it can tell I'm thinking about Emma. It's pointing towards the beanstalk," Killian said, a small smile spreading across his face as he thought of their first adventure.

"Oh right. The famous beanstalk I heard about. What exactly happened up there?"

"We made wild, passionate love in the bean fields," Killian said in a whimsical voice. David gave him a cold, hard stare. "Ah, we're not at that place yet, I take it." David continued to glare at him in silence. Killian held up the compass and tapped it with his hook. "We went to get this. It was our first adventure together, and the first time I realized I could love again. She was completely amazing. Then she left me up there, so I went back to my revenge tactics." David finished preparing the meat and sat down on the grass as it began to cook.

"Trust doesn't come easy with Emma. We're to blame for that," David said, staring into the fire. "If we could have only gone into the wardrobe with her..." He trailed off, thinking about all that he missed, all that he could have protected his little girl from. Killian didn't press him to continue his thoughts, it was obvious what David was thinking. David grunted and stretched out his hand to look at the compass. The arrow spun again and stopped in the direction of East.

"What do you seek?" Killian asked. David shrugged and handed him back the compass. "Come on, mate. You jumped at the chance to accompany me. I know your castle is that direction. What's there?"

"Nothing," David said a bit sadly. "It was destroyed when the curse hit." Killian inspected David, using his pirate knowledge to inspect his expression and his stance.

"You don't even know why it's pointing towards your castle," he stated.

"I'm here to help you get back to Emma," David insisted. Killian put the compass back in his satchel.

"Well, we still have two days left. If we survive the Dark Castle, maybe we'll have a chance to find out."

* * *

Emma, Henry, Snow and Neal walked into the loft after getting some dinner at Granny's. Emma immediately plopped down on the couch, not only exhausted about today's events, but she was wondering if the hamburger with extra bacon, cheese fries and hot fudge sundae were a big mistake. Snow went to the kitchen to make her some tea and Henry settled down beside her and turned on the TV. Neal sat down in the chair next to the couch and zoned out to the TV. Snow brought the tea over to Emma, who thanked her and set it down on the end table.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Snow asked.

"No, just sit down. You've been through alot too," Emma replied.

"No, I need to do something," Snow replied. "I can't sit still."

"I'm sure Henry has some laundry on the floor," Emma replied, nudging Henry a bit. "Who will be happy to go pick it up for you." Henry groaned and headed towards the steps. Snow followed after him.

"You going to be okay tonight? I can sleep on the couch the first night, if that's okay," Neal offered.

"I'll get back to you. If my stomach doesn't settle, you might need to roll me up the steps," Emma joked. Neal chuckled then just stared at Emma with a smile on his face. "What?"

"Killian has had a good effect on you. I like it when you joke around," he said. "It reminds me from the Emma from Portland." Emma smiled back at him.

"And I like this Neal from now. You're responsible, dependable, and you don't send me to jail," Emma said with a smile.

"Well, if Pinocchio and I ever join up again, you should watch your back," Neal joked. Snow suddenly appeared next to them, holding an arm-full of laundry with tears in her eyes.

"You okay?" Emma asked.

"Um...I saw the bassinets. Where did you get the mobile?" Snow asked.

"Killian bought it from Gold. Why?" Emma asked. Snow put the laundry down on the floor and sat on the couch with Emma, taking her hand.

"It was yours- from your nursery back home. The dwarves made it especially for you. Grumpy worked for weeks stringing all those unicorns. They all wanted it to be just perfect for you," Snow said with tears in her eyes. "I'm glad you have it." Emma looked in Snow's eyes as both of them started to tear up.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to enjoy it the first time," Emma said finally, leaning towards her to give her a hug. Neal went upstairs with Henry to give the girls a moment, but neither of them noticed. Snow let the tears roll down her cheek and Emma pulled her a little tighter. Emma thought back to when she and Snow were in her nursery back home. She wondered what it would be like to take her first steps in a castle, rather than a dirty hallway of an orphanage. She could just picture Mary-Margaret and David, dressed in their royal finest, clapping as she took her first steps towards them. Her thoughts then drifted towards Henry, who she missed seeing his first steps as well. New tears came to her eyes. Snow felt Emma tense and pulled back a bit.

"What is it?" Emma wiped a tear away and tried to force a smile.

"I'm going to have two kids, and I never even took care of my first baby. I missed so much with him," she said. Snow took her hand again.

"I know what you mean," Snow said, trying to force the lump in her throat away. "This family is going to have a lot of firsts, but we'll have them all together now- and that's what's important." Emma nodded and rubbed her still very small stomach. "Now," said Snow, trying to brighten the mood. "How badly do you want them to have Killian's blue eyes?" Emma let out a small chuckle.

"Oh, so badly. He has the most strikingly beautiful eyes I've ever seen," she said. "I'd like them to have your smile though."

"Our smile," Snow said. "You have my smile too."


	7. Chapter 7

Killian and David continued through the kingdom towards the Dark Castle. As they reached the bottom of the Forbidden Mountains, they both let out a sigh as they started to climb the side of it. Rumplestiltskin had obviously set up various spells to discourage trespassers. First they were hit with a powerful blizzard. They pulled their packs close to them to help block the wind and snow, bending low to help with the force of it.

"Probably would have been smart to bring something warmer," Killian yelled over the howling wind.

"That or some protection spells," David called back. They pressed on for what felt like hours. When they reached the highest point of the first mountain, the snow stopped. They stopped on the crest to catch their breath, brushing the snow off themselves, trying not to show each other that they felt completely frozen. The rest of the way looked clear, but neither of them believed it for a second. "Well, shall we press on?" Killian nodded and started to head down the side to where the next mountain connected. When they reached the second mountain, they were hit with a scorching heat. Killian instantly stopped and started to take off his leather pirate shirt. "What are you doing?"

"Leather and heat don't mix," Killian stated. David nodded and shed his sweatshirt as well. The two continued up the second mountain. It was really difficult not to deplete their water supply, not knowing where they would find the next river. "You know, if we mixed this mountain with the last mountain, we'd have no problem."

"If Gold had done that, he would have been really bad at casting weather curses," David stated. "Come on, I'm sure he's just warming up." Killian laughed sarcastically, mocking David's choice of words. "I wasn't making a joke."

"No, but it's a long journey and I need to entertain myself," Killian said.

"Maybe you should try singing," David suggested dryly. Killian then started the first line of 'Yo-Ho', to which David instantly stopped by drawing his knife quickly and putting it to Killian's throat. "Stop that now."

"Lighten up, mate," Killian said, walking past him and giving him a little bump. "Just trying to attempt some father-son bonding." They reached the crest of the mountain and surveyed the rest of their travel. It looked like an endless stretch of mountains, with the castle nowhere in sight.

"That's odd. The Dark Castle should have been over this ridge," David said. Killian took the compass out and held it up. The arrow, instead of pointing straight ahead of them, pointed west.

"That's interesting," Killian said, turning the compass over and back, only to find the same results. David picked some dirt off the ground and threw it hard towards west. The dust settled straight up and down, as if it hit a wall about fifteen yards ahead of them. David ran ahead and felt the invisible wall, eventually finding what felt like a doorknob. He turned it and a furnished castle appeared in the invisible door frame.

"Guess we found the back door," David said. They recollected themselves and both drew their swords as they entered, knowing there had to be more to come.

* * *

Regina pushed the coffin aside in her mausoleum to go inside her hidden chamber. She opened her cabinet to take out the ingredients she needed for her potion. After crushing the ingredients into a fine powder, she laid out the photos on her lab bench. One picture of Snow and the other of Emma. She then took out the dream catcher and held the picture of Snow in her hand while blowing on the dream catcher. A dark gray mist floated out of the dreamcatcher, which she caught up as best as she could with a vile. She did the same while holding a picture of Emma. Regina added the powder mixture to each vial, which formed into a dark green powder with a puff of smoke. Corking each vial, she went over to her mirror and waved her hand over it. She could see Snow and Emma talking on the couch, but couldn't hear what they were saying.  
"Just wait until you fall asleep. Sweet dreams," Regina said aloud.

* * *

Emma got into bed completely exhausted. Her stomach still didn't feel 100% and it was weird going to bed without Killian. She looked out the window and silently made a wish on a star for his safety. _Only two days left until he comes home- I can do this_, she thought. Emma got into bed and rolled over to Killian's side, burying her face in his pillow. It smelled like him, and she found it comforting. She couldn't stop thinking about him as she drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, through the mirror, Regina saw that Emma was now asleep. She took the vial of Emma's powder and blew it into the mirror. Dark green dust swirled around Emma's head and settled there.

_Emma was suddenly at the top of the beanstalk in the giant's world. It was still the grimm, empty wasteland she remembered. She looked around for Killian, who was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he was inside the castle. As she went through the familiar passageways, she came across the treasure room. The skeleton was still laying on the floor, but it looked different. Instead of the scraps of brown leather tatters, the skeleton wore full black leather- and it's hand was missing. Emma choked back tears as she picked up the hook that was lying next to the skeleton._

_"The giant snapped his neck," a voice from behind her said. Emma spun around to see Graham, who was looking from the skeleton to her. "A result of the curse."_

_"Graham?" Emma said in disbelief. "No, this wasn't part of the curse." She clenched the hook in both hands and held it to her chest._

_"Not Regina's curse, your curse," Graham explained. "You can never have love, you'll always be alone. Everyone you love will leave you or end up dead. Me, Hook, your babies..." Emma shook her head._

_"No, no- Killian can't be dead! And my babies..." she stopped when she looked down at her stomach. There was blood dripping to the floor, Emma started to cry uncontrollably._

"Emma, wake up!" Neal called out to her. Emma's eyes shot open and she was breathing heavily. Neal tried to quiet her down, but it took a moment for the panic to stop. Emma threw her arms around his neck and tried to calm down. "It was just a dream." Emma tried to wrap her mind around it, but it felt so real. "It was just a dream," he said again. "What...what are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"I slept on the couch," Neal said. "Do you want some water?"

"I, um, I think I need to use the bathroom," Emma said. Neal helped her out of bed and she slowly made her way towards the bathroom.

"Emma!" Neal called after her. As she turned, he pointed towards the bed- blood.


	8. Chapter 8

The four of them were at the hospital in minutes. Neal pushed Emma in a wheelchair that he found by the ER entrance and Snow and Henry ran along side of it. They pushed her up to the registration desk.

"My daughter is bleeding and she's 10 weeks pregnant with twins!" Snow explained to the nurse in a panic. "Get Dr. Whale!" The nurse acted quickly and called for another nurse.

"Take her to radiology for an ultrasound," the nurse instructed before paging Dr. Whale. "We'll take care of her, have a seat." The three of them sat in the waiting room as Emma was wheeled through the hospital doors. Snow put her arm around Henry, who put his head on her shoulder while Neal tapped on his legs impatiently.

"Are the babies going to be okay?" Henry asked.

"They'll do everything they can, pal," Neal said. The three of them sat in silence for a while. It was over an hour before Dr. Whale came out to talk to them. All of them stood quickly to hear the news.

"Fortunately, it was just some spotting. That can be normal in the first trimester. But she is very panicked and needs to rest. We ran a few tests and the babies seemed to be fine, but we'd like to keep her for a few more hours to make sure everything is okay," Dr. Whale explained. They let out a sigh of relief.

"Can we see her?" Snow asked.

"We managed to get her to go back to sleep, so you should let her rest, but you can see her," Dr. Whale said. A nurse lead them to Emma's room, where she was being monitored and was sleeping. Snow sat in the chair next to her while Henry and Neal stood beside her bed.

"You can take Henry home," Snow said. "I'll stay with her." Henry protested at first, but Neal and Snow insisted, promising he could see her first thing in the morning.

* * *

David and Killian searched the castle, which was mostly empty. Most of Rumplestiltskin's trophies had crossed over when the curse hit, but there were still some items that remained. Killian ran his hook along the wall out of frustration.

"Relax, Hook, we'll find it," David said, continuing his search in another room.

"Well it's not going to be on some mantel. I'm sure that he made a point that I wouldn't find it," Killian said. As he went into what was probably the dining room, he saw a large object that was covered by a drape. He pulled the drape back, thinking it could be a cabinet, but was in fact a mirror. He inspected it, checking out himself a little in the process, but then continuing on his search.

"Anything," David asked as he entered the room.

"Nothing, just a mirror," Killian stated. David went over and put his hand on the glass. "What are you doing?"

"Both Rumplestiltskin and Regina had a thing for mirrors. It was how they could see people. Maybe we could use it to find an object," David said.

"Well, whatever can help me find it so I can get back to Emma, I'll give anything a shot," Killian said. At the mention of a name, the mirror started to swirl until Emma came into focus. She was lying on a hospital bed with Snow asleep by her side. Killian's heart dropped and he threw himself at the mirror. "EMMA! EMMA, NO!" Both of them started to panic.

"Snow?" David called. On the other side of the mirror, Snow started to rouse from her sleep. "Maybe she can hear us," David said to Killian. "SNOW!" He called again.

"Charming?" Snow called sleepily. The two of them kept calling her. She followed their voices until she came across the mirror in the bathroom and recoiled in surprise when she saw their faces in it.

"David? Killian?" she asked sleepily. "How?"

"We're in Rumplestiltskin's castle. We have one of his mirrors," David explained.

"What happened to Emma? Is she and the babies okay?" Killian yelled in a panic.

"She's okay, she woke up bleeding..."

"BLEEDING?!" Killian cried.

"No, she's fine, everyone is fine. They're just keeping her to make sure she's okay," Snow said.

"We're coming home. We're coming home right now," Killian said. David took the hat out of his pack and threw it to the ground. Nothing. Killian picked it up and tried spinning it. "NO!" David tried again, still nothing. Snow's eyes started to fill with tears. Killian dropped to the floor and tried to make it spin manually. "NO, NO, NO!"

"We have to find how to recharge it," David said, turning back to Snow. "We'll come home as soon as we can. We can't carry this mirror around so we'll have to find another way to reach you if something goes wrong." Snow put her hand up to the mirror, and David did as well.

"Charming, be safe," Snow said with tears in her eyes. With that, the mirror went dark. David turned back to Hook, who was still on his knees holding the hat with tears in his eyes. David tried to take the hat from him, but he quickly jerked it closer to him. David put his hand on Hook's shoulder, which made Killian release it. David folded the hat and put it back in his pack.

"It's my fault," Killian said weakly. "She needs me and I'm off on a selfish quest."

"We're going to get home," David reassured.

"I could have lost my babies, and I'm not there," Killian said. David sighed and got off the floor.

"So let's find something to recharge this thing and go home. There's got to be something here," David said. Killian got off the floor and started to ransack the dining room cabinet, sending items crashing to the floor. "Whoa, whoa, careful!"

"My wife is in the hospital and you're telling me to be careful with Rumplestiltskin's things?" David shrugged and started to rip apart the cabinet as well. When they could find nothing of magical value there, they started to knock over anything they could. Killian kicked over a podium with a model ship under a glass case and it shattered, sending glass flying. Killian looked down and saw his hand was bleeding.

"Hook, your hand," David said in surprise.

"I know, I'm fine," Killian said, inspecting the damage of his cut.

"No, your hand," David said as he pointed at the floor. Killian looked to see a jar in the dust of the shattered column. In it was his hand, still clenched in a fist, just as pink and strong as if it was still attached to him. It glowed with a slight bluish hue, most likely from the preservation spell. Killian picked up the jar and stared at it. It was here, he had it.

"Do you think whatever is left of Lake Nostos can fix the hate and my hand?" Killian asked, to which David nodded. "Then let's go."

* * *

Regina walked with confidence down the street. Last night was just a test, now tonight would be a full on attack. As she rounded the corner to head towards the loft again, her arm was grabbed and pulled into an alleyway.

"Why is Emma in the hospital?" Gold demanded, getting in her face.

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," Regina stated flatly. Gold grinded his cane into the ground, tempering his rage.

"My son called me this morning to tell me that Emma woke up screaming and bleeding," Gold said. "You did something."

"Tragedies happen in pregnancies all the time. Maybe it wasn't meant to be," Regina said, trying to walk past him, which made him grab her arm tighter.

"Do you think I'm a fool? I recognize a curse when I see one," Gold said. "Stop now."

"Good day, Rumple," she said, finally getting past him and knocking his cane with her foot. He stumbled a little and had to lean on the wall for support before collecting himself.

"You're making a serious error, dearie," Gold said, calling after her.


	9. Chapter 9

Snow and Neal helped Emma into the house and laid her down on the couch. Dr. Whale had given her and the babies a clean bill of health, but she had to come back in a couple days just to be sure. This made her feel better because, according to plan, Killian should be back by then and he could go with her. That way, they would both have peace of mind. Snow put a blanket over her and Neal tried to help get some stuff around the house done before he had to go pick up Henry from school. Snow settled down in the chair next to Emma after getting them both some tea. She had already told Emma about seeing David and Killian, but they didn't have much time to talk while Emma was getting discharged.

"So, how were they?" Emma asked, sipping her tea.

"They're fine, but Killian was so scared for you," Snow said. "They're trying to come home as fast as they can, but the hat was out of magic."

"Are they going to try the lake?" Emma asked.

"With the way they both were, I'm sure they're doing whatever magic they can find first," Snow said. She didn't want to scare Emma with how panicked Killian was, but she's sure that Emma knew already. Emma sipped her tea in silence for a while, but Snow could tell there was something bothering her. "Do you want to talk about it?" Emma stared at her mug and tried to make sense of it all.

"It started as a dream, a dream I've actually had before. Killian was dead and I saw Graham and he told me that everyone I loved was cursed, because I'm cursed to be alone," Emma stated, forcing back a lump in her throat. "Only this time, I was losing my babies." Snow moved over to the couch and rubbed her leg to comfort her.

"Emma, that's awful. You've had that dream before?" Emma nodded. "I'm so sorry."

"But this time, it felt so real. And then when I woke up and saw the blood..." Emma couldn't go on, and she didn't have to. Snow continued to rub her leg. "I know I need to rest, but I'm afraid to fall asleep." Neal came back into the room after putting a load of laundry in, and upon seeing them in discussion, tried not to intrude.

"There's um...some clothes in the dryer and I'll get something for dinner after I pick up Henry," Neal said. They both thanked him and Neal headed for the door. When he opened it, Gold was on the other side. "Papa?"

"Can I come in?" Neal looked at Emma for approval then gestured for him to come in. "Are you feeling alright?" Gold asked Emma, who nodded. Gold clicked his cane on the floor. "I'll get straight to the point, Ms. Swan. I think Regina put a curse which caused your scare." Everyone bristled to attention. "I'm not sure exactly what she did, but I can feel that some sort of dark magic has been cast. Can you tell me what happened last night?" Emma went onto tell Gold what happened in her dream, and then Neal woke her up. "Bae," Gold said turning to his son, "Do you still have that dream catcher?"

"I gave it to Henry a few months ago," Neal said. He ran upstairs to get it, but came back empty handed. "It's gone."

"Do you think she's attacking us in our dreams?" Snow asked. Gold nodded. "Why would she do that?"

"The same reason she always does- Henry. Although, I don't know what I did this time," Emma said. "But it was enough to hurt my babies."

"No, I don't think Regina had them in mind specifically. She just took your nightmares and turned them into something that felt so real that your body reacted. It's only your pain that she's after," Gold observed. "But she's not going to stop with just one attempt. Since Hook and Charming are away, she's going to attack your emotions while they're vulnerable. It's actually quite an admirable play."

"Admirable?" Neal questioned. "Really, Papa, are you endorsing this?"

"Of course not," Gold said. "I just appreciate her...creativity."

"Yeah, thanks," Emma said, annoyance clearly audible in her voice. "So what do we do about it?"  
"Well, I have a few hours, I can see if I can perform a protection spell," Gold said, rising from the chair. "But I warn you- I don't think it'll just be Emma tonight."

"Swell," Neal said.

* * *

Everyone in the loft that night was very slow to get ready for bed that night. Snow decided to stay in Emma's room that night, just to make sure that someone would be there in case anything happened to her or the babies again. Henry and Neal decided to "camp out" in sleeping bags in the living room. No one wanted to be alone tonight. Meanwhile, Regina took three vials of nightmares and blew them into the mirror.

"Sweet dreams," she cackled.

* * *

_Neal found himself standing in a remote corner of the woods with Henry. They were hiking on one of the trails when suddenly, a swirling pit of green smoke opened in front of them. Neal grabbed Henry's hand and started to run, but the force of the pit pulled them backward._

_"HENRY!" Neal screamed as he was pulled into the pit. Henry grabbed onto his father's arm, trying to pull him back up. "Don't let go!" Suddenly, Rumplestitskin and Hook appeared on either side of Henry._

_"I can teach you magic," Rumplestitskin sneered in his ear. "And you can forget how much pain you had growing up without a father."_

_"I'm more of a father to you than he ever was," Hook said, placing his hook around his wrist. "You don't need to save him."_

_"Killian, what are you doing?" Neal called out. The pit was pulling him deeper and deeper into the vortex. "Henry, please!" Henry looked to both men who were on either side of him and nodded._

_"You abandoned me. I hate you," Henry said as he let go of Neal's arm._

_"Henry, NO!" Neal called out. He was suddenly gasping for breath. The smoke from the vortex was entering his lungs, choking him._

* * *

_Snow White was standing in the cemetery. She was walking in a fog, not knowing who was there, but she had four single-stem roses in her hand. When she reached the top of the hill, there were three headstones. One was two hearts intertwined that read: Here lies Killian and Emma Jones, who found true love for all to brief a moment. The next was a smaller one that read: Henry Mills, selfless-brave-true-prince. The last stood tall over the others: David Nolan, the true king. Next to his name was hers, but it had no death date. Under both their names read 'We found true love for all eternity.' She laid a flower on each of their graves. Her family was gone, it was her own fault. Unable to take the pain of the death of her entire family, Snow reached up to her chest and pulled out her own heart. Her chest burned in pain, she crumpled to the ground._

* * *

_Emma was back on the side of the highway by the diner. Being here always made her tense and hyperventilate. It was where she was abandoned, where her lonely life started. When she came here searching so long ago, all she saw was happy families eating dinner together, laughing, making memories- something she would never have. This place was a symbol to her of a life she never had. As she peered into the window, it seemed to be vacant. As she turned, she was face to face with Regina._

_"This isn't real," Emma told herself._

_"Is it?" Regina asked. She raised her hand and pain was sent throughout her body. Emma crumpled to the floor, holding her stomach._

_"Why?"_  
_"You took Henry from me. I will never stop coming after you," Regina declared. "He's my son. You, that pirate, Rumple's son- you will never be his true parents. You can pretend all you like. None of you were there when I was there."_

_"And there's not a moment I don't regret that," Emma said through her pain. "But please...don't hurt my babies because of your anger."_

_"Why should I live in a world created for my own happiness where you have everything and I have nothing?" Regina said, raising her hand again._

* * *

Henry woke when Neal started gasping in his sleep. He went for the phone- the line was dead. He went for every cell phone in the house- all dead. Henry tried waking Neal up, but he was in too deep a sleep, like he was captured there. Henry jumped when there was a pounding on the door.

"I have it," Gold said as Henry opened the door.

"It might be too late," Henry said, letting him in. Gold walked as quickly as he could over to his son, whose breath was becoming thinner by the moment.

"Henry, go check on Emma and Mary-Margaret," Gold instructed. "I'll take care of my son." Henry bolted upstairs as Gold pulled a magic wand from his coat. He dipped it into a glowing blue bottle and it absorbed all the contents. He waved the wand over Neal's head three times and muttered a protection spell. Neal instantly sat up and tried to catch his breath. When he realized what happened, he put his hands on Gold's shoulders to help calm himself down.

"It took you long enough," Neal said through his gasps to regain his breath.

"Curses are my specialty and I can create them in an instant. Protection spells can take me a little longer," Gold stated. Neal let out a small smile.

"But thank you, Papa. Really," Neal said. They nodded and exchanged looks of silent gratitude. Henry bolted down the steps, almost crashing into both of them.

"They're both asleep and they must be cursed!" Henry said. The three men went up the stairs to find Snow curled in a ball and grabbing her chest. Emma was in a full sweat, looking visibly in pain. "Save them!"

"I didn't think Regina would attack my son. I only have enough potion left for one. This protection spell took time, it could be hours before I can create more potion," Gold stated. The three of them looked at each other. Who was going to make that choice?


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I was inspired to write the other day because I'm really missing seeing Hook on the show, and then I realized I didn't write him in for the last chapter. What was I thinking?! To make up for it, here's lots of Killian. Also, I didn't plan this initially, but something mentioned in a previous chapter comes up again and make a key play. I was actually very proud when I thought of it- hope you like it!**

* * *

David and Killian had made it halfway across the kingdom in a day. They trudged hard, never stopping. By nightfall, they were both exhausted, but neither wanted to admit it. Both of them wanted to get home as soon as possible. They came to a clearing with a lake and stopped to fill up their canteens. David leaned down to splash some water on his face, while Killian dunked his whole head in and shook off the excess water, splashing David in the process.

"Killian, calm down," David said calmly yet firmly.

"I'm not resting until I get home to Emma," he said. He meant to only lean back, but he ended up collapsing backward. David reached into his pack and handed him some food. At first, Killian waved it off, but David insisted. He took it begrudgingly and ate in silence.

"I'm going to have to insist we rest here for the night. We're no good to them if we wear ourselves out and then are too weak to handle whatever we come across later," David explained. Killian nodded in agreement. They both slowly gathered some firewood for the night and David lit it. As they sat in silence, Killian was clearly not himself. He just stared focused into the fire, jaw clenched, not saying a word. David thought about Hook and Emma, how much they had changed each other, how much they reminded him of himself and Snow. David was already worried about his daughter, but Killian was torturing himself inside for not being there for him. David tried to think of himself in his position.  
"Would you rather be an ogre or a troll?" David asked with a smile. Killian shook himself out of his daze and looked at David in confusion.

"What?"

"What would you rather be? An ogre or a troll?"

"You're a bloody loon, mate," Killian said, once again staring in the fire. David sat next to him and gave him a playful shove. "What are you on about," Killian asked in annoyance.

"Just trying to attempt some father-son bonding," David said with a smile. Killian looked at him and shook his head, a small smile creeping out.

"You're trying to take my mind off of worrying about Emma," Killian corrected.

"Well, both," David said with a shrug. Killian nodded and gave him a shove back.

"Troll," Killian said. "They're smarter and they smell less." They went on to talk about their own conquests with both trolls and ogres. As they talked, David thought back to over a year ago. If someone told him that his son-in-law would be Captain Hook, he would have punched them. But he had great respect for Killian- he was a friend. The two of them decided it was time to rest, so they decided to take turns being on watch. David insisted on taking the first watch. Killian laid down and took his hook off. His last thoughts were of Emma- wishing he could be there to protect her.

* * *

"You have to save Emma," Neal said. "She's pregnant. Snow wouldn't have it any other way."

"But neither would my Mom. She'd tell you to save Mary-Margaret," Henry said. Gold began to pace the floor. "Please, Grandpa, do something!" Gold winced at Henry calling him Grandpa. He was still unsure about his relationship with Henry, but he didn't want to disappoint him. A boy shouldn't make this kind of decision.

"We're running out of time," Neal said. "We have to somehow put a protection spell on both of them so they can wake up."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Gold asked.

"I DON'T KNOW! If Charming and Killian were here, they'd think of something! I'm just a guy from New York," Neal said. Gold scoffed.

"Hook. If he were here he'd..." Gold then realized- there could be something. Gold snapped his fingers and Milah's ring appeared in his hand.

"What's that?"

"It's Milah's ring- your mother's. She exchanged it with Hook as a promise of their love," Gold said. "He wears a matching one."

"Oh right. I like to forget he was her. What does this have to do with anything?" Neal said, getting impatient.

"Hook had a connection to this ring, but he has a stronger connection now to Emma. There's still a drop left of the protection spell in the bottle. If I put some on the ring and enchant it, Hook might be able to help her wake up- or at least help her fight," Gold said, quickly retrieving the bottle and placing the last drop on the ring then placing it on Emma's finger.

"How would that even work?" Neal asked. Gold quickly muttered a spell over the ring and Emma seemed to calm down slightly.

"Wherever he is, let's just hope he's asleep," Gold said. He pulled the ring up to his lips with it still on Emma's hand . "Hook- find her."

* * *

_Killian found himself on a highway. There was a dark fog rolling across the asphalt. He'd been in thick fog on his ship, but this was almost impossible to see through. He searched for his satchel, but it was gone._

_"Hook," a slow groan murmured from all around him._

_"Who's there?" Killian yelled into the fog._

_"Find her," the voice became more prominent. He knew that voice anywhere._

_"Crocodile?" He started to run through the fog. In the distance, he heard another voice- female. It was screaming, it was in pain. "Emma?" He started running faster towards the screaming. "EMMA!" The fog started to clear and he could see her. She was on the ground, Regina was zapping her with electric bolts she was sending towards her. "Emma!" Regina looked up to see Killian down the road, using every bit of his strength to race towards Emma._

_"NO!" Regina yelled. She waved her hand and the road broke in half, creating a gap between them. Killian stumbled backwards to keep from falling in. As he fell on the ground, he used his hands to brace himself. It was then he noticed- his hands. He didn't have his hook._

_"This is a dream," Killian said. "This isn't real."_

_"Oh, it's real enough," Regina said, sending a fireball towards him. He felt the heat of it coming towards him, burning his arm as it grazed him. He looked down at his arm and had an idea- he waved his other hand over his arm. It healed. Killian smiled to himself. "What's so amusing, pirate?"_

_"If this isn't real, then this should be fun," Killian said, growing confident. Emma started to regain her senses once Regina's focus was diverted elsewhere. Her vision was somewhat fuzzy, but she could make out a dark-haired form across from a large break that had formed in the road. She pushed herself off the ground into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. _

_"Killian?" Emma said weakly._

_"I'm coming, Emma!" Killian said, dodging another fireball. Emma's eyes widened as Killian pressed his hands together and shot a stream of water with the force of a fire hose at Regina, sending her backwards. Killian then took a running start and flew over the gap and landed next to her with ease._

_"What...what was..." Emma started to ask, but Killian pulled her into his arms and kissed her quickly before anything else happened._

_"Emma, it's all a dream. I'm here, but I'm in your dream. You need to fight, you need to wake up," Killian said, urging her to get up._

_"I don't understand," Emma said before the two of them were blasted back._

_"I don't know how you got here, Hook, but don't think you can save her in here. It's my curse, I call the shots," Regina said, reaching up and forming a spike in her hand and sent it straight for him. He put his arm up to deflect and a sword formed in his hand, knocking the spike away with his cutlass. He and Emma exchanged looks and stood their ground. A sword formed in Emma's hand and the two stood in readiness for the next attack. Hook extended his left hand and his hook appeared in his grasp. Emma looked at him in confusion, finally noticing he had a second hand._

_"What can I say? I like it for battles," Killian said with a wink. Regina flew fire at them with both hands, to which Emma extended her hand and a thick glass wall formed in front of them, deflecting the fire. Regina screamed in frustration at it, shattering the glass. Regina smiled a cruel smile as she raised her hands and the shards of glass flew off the asphalt and were pointed straight at them. Emma and Killian held onto each other and they were gone in a puff of white smoke and reappeared behind Regina. Killian took his opportunity and stabbed Regina in the back with his hook. Regina turned in shock as she realized what happened and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving the hook to fall to the ground._

* * *

Regina awoke panting in her mausoleum. She had them, she almost had them. She tensed as she felt a pain in her back. She reached behind her and then looked at her hand- blood. She reached behind her again and healed the wound from the hook and got up to change her clothes. Damn that pirate- how was he able to penetrate into her dream curse? Gold...


	11. Chapter 11

Gold performed the protection charm over Snow and she bolted up in the bed with a large gasp. She grabbed her chest and tried to calm her breath. Henry jumped on the bed with her and hugged her. Snow held him close. It was then that she noticed that Emma was still asleep.

"Why is Emma still asleep? Is she okay?" she said, starting to panic again.

"We think she's okay," Neal said.

"You think?!"

"Mr. Gold only had enough potion for one, so he enchanted a ring to protect Emma. We think Killian is helping her," Henry explained.

"You should have used the potion on her. She's pregnant!" Snow said, yelling at Gold.

"Don't worry, Ms. Blanchard. We were successful," Gold said, gesturing to Emma. "Look, she's not sweating anymore. She actually looks content. It seems like my enchantment worked." Snow observed Emma. She did look quite peaceful.

"You are so lucky that it seems to be working. Because if it's not, and she's really in pain, you're going to pay for that, Gold," Snow threatened. Gold let out a mocking breath.

"Ooh. It seems like someone still has some blackness if you're pulling out the threats," he said. Snow turned her head away in shame. "The protection spell will keep you safe for the rest of the night. You should be able to sleep now."

"I don't think I can..." Snow started, but then Gold held up his hand and she felt instantly drowsy. She laid back down on the bed and fell blissfully asleep.

"I hope you didn't just counteract all the work you just did," Neal said. Henry put the blankets over Snow and the three of them headed downstairs. Henry jumped back in his sleeping bag and laid down, still looking a bit anxious. As Gold turned to leave, Neal called after him as he got in the sleeping bag next to Henry. "Um, Papa, it's been an eventful night. Just this once, would you mind..." Neal asked, gesturing what Gold had just done with his hand. Gold smiled and put both Neal and Henry to sleep into a gentle sleep. Gold smiled as he left the loft.

"Good night, son."

* * *

_Emma and Killian caught their breath as it seemed like Regina had left them. When they caught each other's eyes, they quickly rushed into each other's arms, reuniting with a kiss. It felt so good to be in each other's arms, but they knew they weren't in reality. As they broke the kiss, Killian wiped a tear from her cheek._

_"I'm so sorry I wasn't with you to protect you and the babies," Killian said. Emma let out a small chuckle and kissed his cheek._

_"It wasn't your fault. I'm fine, and they're fine. That's all that matters. I just miss you so much," she said, hugging him again._

_"I'm trying to get home as fast as I can," he said. "And holding you now is only going to motivate me more."_

_"But you aren't really holding me," Emma said sadly. "It's just a dream." Killian cupped her cheek with his hand and pulled her in for a passionate kiss._

_"Feels real to me," he said with a smile. A smile spread across Emma's face as well._

_"So, if this is my dream, I can control whatever I want," she said._

_"I guess so."_

_"Then let's try a test of how real things can feel," Emma said. She closed her eyes and the scene swirled around them. The sky grew brighter and they both suddenly felt warmer. When the scene settled, Killian looked at her with a playful look in his eye._

_"Our honeymoon cottage in Maui?" he said, pulling her towards him. "Feisty, lass." Emma pulled him into a kiss and they both let their hands explore a bit. When their lips parted, they were a bit breathless._

_"Feels real to me," she said with a smile. He pulled her back to him again, matching each other's passion._

_"Hook," a voice above them bellowed, shaking the world they were in._

_"No," Killian groaned. "I think I'm being woken up." Emma hugged him and ran her fingers through his hair, noticing that he somehow started to feel lighter._

_"Come back to me," she said._

_"Always," he said before he vanished. Emma closed her eyes- time to wake up._

* * *

David shook Killian awake urgently. "Hook!" Killian slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them.

"You picked a really bad time to wake me up," Killian groaned.

"Get up or you're dinner!" David yelled. Killian suddenly became more alert and jumped to his feet. The trees were blowing hard and a load roar came from close by. "Ogres finally found us." Killian and David grabbed as much as they could and ran towards a rocky cave. They could hide in there until the ogres gave up. As they reached the mouth of the cave, an ogre jumped out in front of them and roared. It sniffed the air in front of them and roared again. Killian and David took off in different directions. The ogre stretched out in front of him, hoping to catch his dinner, but he just barely grazed Killian, so the ogre went off in his direction. Killian ran and dodged behind anything he could, but the ogre was hot on his heels. The ogre raised its hand into the air and swatted at Killian, sending him flying until he hit the ground hard, falling unconscious.

Meanwhile, David had made it into the cave and was catching his breath. He was surprised that Killian hadn't made it in yet, so he peeked his head out of the cave to see Killian lying limp on the ground, the ogre groping around on the ground to find his prey. A million thoughts flew into his head- _he promised Emma he'd protect Killian, he was a father to Henry, the twins, Killian is family and his friend was about to die._ David ran at an almost inhuman rate, drawing his sword as he prepared for battle. With a loud scream he chopped at the ogre's leg, getting a roar in response. David attacked the ogre with every ounce in him, being sure to make enough noise to draw him away from Killian. He knew that in doing this, he was risking that more ogres would come, but he'd deal with that later. All that mattered now was defeating the one in front of him. He climbed over the mouth of the cave to gain an advantage, and when the ogre was in range, he heaved his sword directly into the ogre's eye, sending it to fall down dead. David climbed down and removed his sword, wiping it before putting it back in its sheath. He ran over to Killian as fast as he could and leaned over at him breathlessly. "Hook, Hook, wake up." Eventually, Killian opened his eyes slowly and blinked at Charming leaning over him.

"I hope you didn't kiss me awake," Killian joked weakly. David gave a small laugh as he helped Killian sit up. "I guess we have one less ogre to deal with now," he said, looking over at the dead one across from him.

"Yeah, for now. There could be more, so let's take shelter," David said, helping him up and throwing Killian's good arm over his shoulder and headed in the direction of the cave. "Come on, let's get you safe."

"Thanks for saving me," Killian said lowly, kind of embarrassed he ended up on the ground yet again. "For Emma's sake."

"You're family," David replied.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning, Emma felt oddly refreshed, despite how the first part of the night started. Since she knew Killian was safe, she felt calmer than she had in days. And tonight was the night he was going to come home. Well, he was supposed to. If they were not able to recharge the hat, Emma and Snow would start searching for another way to create a portal, but hopefully it wouldn't come to that. If that was the case, it could take months. But Emma had faith in Killian- he would come back to her. She got out of bed and, to her delight, no nausea. "Thanks, kids," she said as she rubbed her belly. It felt like she was starting to get more of a bump. She was so excited to show Killian! She left Snow asleep and went downstairs to find Neal and Henry completely knocked out. She could only deduce that it had been a long night and everyone needed to sleep. Emma began to make breakfast and it wasn't too long before Neal got up and went to make coffee.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Emma said as she flipped the bacon in the skillet.

"You're making bacon. No amount of magic can keep you asleep when that smell fills the house," Neal said, going over to the coffee maker and filling it with water.

"Magic?" Emma asked confused.

"Long story, I'll tell you later. Are you okay?" Neal asked, pausing for a moment as he measured out the coffee.

"I feel great," Emma said.

"I take it you saw Hook," Neal said, leaning against the counter. Emma blushed a little. "It's okay, you're allowed to be happy."

"Thank you, Neal," Emma said, turning toward him.

"For what?"

"For protecting us last night, for always being there when we need you. I don't know what we'd do without you," Emma said.

"Oh, you'd be fine," Neal said with a wink. "And I needed protecting myself last night. My father was here."

"Gold helped?" Neal nodded. "Well, he wouldn't have become protective of us if it wasn't for you." Neal poured himself some coffee and sat down at the breakfast bar.

"You're giving me too much credit, Emma, but thanks. I'm glad I could be here for you," Neal said before taking a sip. "When do you want to head back to the library?"

"If I could, I'd wait there all day," Emma said. "Killian said sundown, but I'll probably start my stakeout there as soon as I'm done my shift." Emma put the last of the pancakes and bacon on a plate before going to wake up Henry. "Come on, kid. Breakfast before school."

"Aw, Mom," Henry said, flipping over to his other side. "Do I have to go? None of the other kids have magical attacks at night. Can't I stay home?" Emma pulled him out of the sleeping bag and steered him to the table. Henry instantly dove into the plate of bacon before Emma could even bring him some pancakes. "Do you think Killian will be home before I get out of school?" Henry said with his mouth full of food.

"I hope so, kid," Emma said. Neal helped Henry get ready and they both took him to school. Emma checked on Snow before leaving, making sure she didn't miss school either. After she and Neal parted after dropping off Henry, she felt like she was practically skipping to work. The sooner the day was over, the sooner she'd see Killian. She just knew it.

* * *

The sun had already set as David and Killian went over the last rise to Lake Nostos, they were surprised to find it fully flourishing again. David looked around in amazement- it was exactly the same as when he was here the first time, and that gave him pause. As Killian took a step towards the lake, David put a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful. There must be a siren here if the lake is flourishing again. The last time I faced a siren, it almost cost me my life," David warned.

"I think I can handle the lass," Killian said. David gripped his shoulder harder.

"Be careful," he emphasized. Both of them went to the edge of the lake and took out their goat skins. "Let's fill these quickly and get out of here." Once they filled the goat skins and their canteens, David was ready to go, but Killian paused at the water's edge. "Let's go!"

"Wait. What if I heal myself here? I don't trust Rumplestiltskin to heal me without some sort of price," Killian said. He took the jar out of his satchel and took his hook and holster off.

"Do you, um, need help?" David asked uncomfortably.

"I don't know. Do you want to hold my dead hand unless it was absolutely necessary?" Killian asked. David shook his head to decline. Killian took the hand out of the jar, placed it up to his bad arm, and dipped it under the water. They both held their breath as he brought his arm back up- nothing changed. Killian looked instantly defeated.

"Maybe it's been too long for just your wrist. Maybe you need to submerge your whole arm," David suggested. David helped Killian take the load off his arm so he could drop his arm in easier. Just as he was about to dip his arm in, a woman began to emerge from the water. "Hook, run!" David yelled. The siren stretched out her hand and David fell instantly unconscious. Killian scrambled to put his hand back in the jar, but when he reached for his hook, the siren blew it out of his reach.

"Well aren't you a clever lass," Killian said. The siren slowly approached her and Killian drew his sword.

"So brave," the siren purred.

"Sorry, lass, your seductions won't work on me," Killian said, keeping Emma in the forefront of his mind.

"Oh, really?" the siren whispered. "Is a pirate's heart so steadfast? Isn't it in a pirate's nature to take whatever opportunity he can to get what he wants?" She continued to walk toward him, hovering over the water. Killian shook his head, but a calmness was washing over him. He tried to continue to focus on Emma, but the cadence in the siren's voice had an unstoppable soothing influence. As the siren approached him, she dipped her hands into the water and brought them over her head. When she lowered her arms, she was not the same woman.

"Milah?"

"Yes, Killian, it's me," the siren whispered. "I'm alive again." She tried to wrap her arms around him, but he arrested one of her hands and tried to push her away.

"No...you're dead," Killian said weakly.

"I can be her. You can have her alive again. You can have your true love again. All you have to do is kiss me," the siren said, leaning towards him. The battle in Killian's head was fierce. Emma...Milah...not real...must get home... When the siren saw that Killian's mind was wavering, she quickly tried to press her lips to his. In the last clear moment his head would allow under the siren's influence, he caught her before she kissed him and held her back with one hand.

"Emma! My true love is Emma," Killian said. The siren's expression turned from soothing to dark in an instant.

"Alright, captain, if that's what you..." the siren was cut off and fell back into the water, unconscious. Killian came to his senses enough to see David, the hilt of his sword still raised.

"I don't know how much time that'll buy us." He thrust the jar into Killian's chest. "Let's finish this." Killian shook his head, trying to get back to normal and undid the jar. David helped Killian kneel down in the water as Killian balanced his hand on his arm. "Good luck."

With that, David dunked Killian completely under the water, holding him there for a few seconds. Killian emerged and took a large breath. He wiped the water from his face with his good hand, then looked down at his bad arm. As he slowly brought his bad arm up, his hand was glowing at his wrist. The glowing subsided and there was his hand- completely healed. Killian looked at it in disbelief, wiggling his fingers slowly to be sure it worked. David smiled and clapped Killian on the shoulder. "It worked!" A small smile started to emerge on Killian's face, which quickly subsided back to serious and focused. He slowly got up out of the water and walked onto the sand where his hook was lying. Without a word, he stared at it for a moment before putting it in his satchel. He gathered up the bags of water and started to walk over the rise. David picked up his bags too and caught up to him. "Hook, are you okay?"

"Let's go home," Killian said, staring straight ahead. Once they reached a safe point, David pulled the hat out of his pack and poured some of the water over it. The hat started to swirl again and the mist started to form.

"Now, which door do we go through," David yelled over the gusting wind.

"Um..." Killian started. They looked at each other, shrugged, and jumped into the portal.


	13. Chapter 13

Killian and David landed in a circular room with doors surrounding them. To their relief, the floor was not buckling underneath them. It at least gave them a chance to think. "Okay," David started. "We know which door is the Enchanted Forest."

"And I know that one is Wonderland," Killian said, gesturing towards the mirror-like door. "So that leaves...a lot of other choices."

"Did Jefferson tell you anything else about the hat? Anything that would help us?"

"He said that since the hat was made in Storybrooke, it would urge us back to that world," Killian said. They paused and looked around, waiting for some sort of obvious choice. As they waited, it seemed as if the room was starting to get smaller. "I don't think that's the urging he meant."

"Maybe the hat is losing momentum. We have to make a choice- fast. Try the compass," David urged.

"Oh, the obvious choice?" Killian joked. He pulled out the compass, which started to swirl, but didn't seem to want to choose a direction. "I don't think this is working." The room in which they were standing continued to get smaller and smaller.

"A land without magic. The hat only goes to magical places," David said. "Storybrooke barely has any magic."

"I hope you're going somewhere with this," Killian said as the room was now no bigger than six feet wide.

"All these doors are elaborate. Look for the simplest one!" To the right of them was a plain door, which looked almost like Regina's front door. They nodded to each other before jumping towards it and David turned the knob.

* * *

Emma, Henry, Neal and Snow waited in anticipation as a puff of purple smoke began to swirl in the center of the room. Once the smoke engulfed the room, it instantly subsided revealing David and Killian standing there with the hat at their feet, their goatskin bags filled with water and both of them were looking rather exhausted. David dropped his load at his feet and rushed to embrace Snow, greeting her with a kiss.

Killian, on the other hand, walked slowly toward Emma, keeping his bad arm concealed inside his jacket. He limped over to her, like he used to when his ribs were cracked, keeping his hand firm on his side, trying to play up the ruse. Emma looked at him in concern, placing her hand on his arm. As he slowly pulled his hand out from his jacket, her expression changed to amazement when he unveiled his healed hand. He was grinning from ear to ear as placed both hands on her face and pulled her into a kiss.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, breaking the kiss. A tear rolled down her face as she kissed his good hand. Emma looked into his calm blue eyes- he was overjoyed. How he longed to hold her with two hands, to embrace her completely. Henry ran to hug them both. Killian tussled Henry's hair with his new hand and pulled him in for another hug.

"Thank you for protecting them, Neal," Killian said, turning his attention to him. Neal shrugged and held his hand out for Killian, who shook it.

"I always will," Neal said. Killian nodded. "So, you have two hands now." Killian laughed and reached down to entwine his new fingers with Emma's. "Are you still going to go by Hook?"

"Well, I think at this point, that moniker is stuck. Besides, it sounds more terrifying than Captain Jones," Killian said.

"Are you planning on going back to your pirating days?" Emma asked. Killian shrugged and gave her a wink.

"I'm going to have more mouths to feed. Who knows what I'll have to steal to keep food on our table?" Killian said with a smile.

* * *

Later that night, Killian sat on the edge of the bed looking at his hands. Emma leaned against the door and watched him. He still looked a little in disbelief about the whole situation. "Still too good to be true?" Emma said, walking toward him. Killian jumped a little, not realizing she was there. She sat on the bed next to him and he wrapped both arms around her.

"Mmmm...holding you with both arms feels amazing," he said, giving her a kiss on top of her head, pulling her down with him as he fell backwards onto the bed. Emma snuggled into his chest and began to rub him absentmindedly. "Are you feeling alright, darling?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just missed this," she said, burying her face into him more. Killian reached out and rubbed her stomach.

"And the babies?" Emma smiled and put her hand over his.

"They're fine. They're tough little fighters. Just like their Daddy."

"They're Mommy is pretty tough too," Killian said with a wink. "But really, darling, are you okay? You seemed lost in thought just now. Are you afraid to sleep?"

"That's not what's on my mind right now," Emma said, rolling herself on top of him, which caused a grin to spread across Killian's face.

"Oh really, lass? What exactly is on your mind?" He already had that look in his eyes, which sent a shiver of excitement through her body.

"I'm wondering if you are as amazing as you are with one hand, how are you with two?" she said, giving him a wink. He quickly flipped her on her back, which caused Emma to giggle, and he gave her a passionate kiss.

"You're about to find out," Killian said as he took her in his arms and kissed her again.

* * *

Emma was surprised to find Killian the first one out of bed. After the past few days, she thought she'd have to drag him out of bed. She walked downstairs to find him busily making breakfast. As he saw her come down the steps, he slid a cup of tea already prepared towards her. She sat at the breakfast bar and smiled at him.

"You're up early," she said.

"It's amazing how running from ogres for only three days changes your sleep patterns," he said with a smile and placed a stack of pancakes in front of her. Emma sipped her tea and Killian sat down next to her.

"It has nothing to do with the last step of your journey?" Killian froze mid-bite. He lowered his fork and looked at her. "It's okay to be nervous."

"I just don't want to cause more harm than good," he said. "I've already done enough." Emma placed her hand over his. He grasped her hand with both of his, still reveling in his fortune that he could now do that.

"I think it time that we all have our happy ending," she said. "Of course, with how life is around here, I don't know how long that will go interrupted, but- it's time." Killian nodded and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He wolfed down his breakfast and ran to grab his coat.

"Meet you after?" He asked as he leaned over to her. Emma gave him a kiss in response and smiled at him. He rubbed her stomach and gave her belly a kiss as well. "Tell Henry I'll pick him up after school," he called from the doorway.

"Good luck, Captain."

* * *

**A/N: If you're wondering what that last part was about- you'll just have to wait for the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

Killian knocked on the wooden door and waited. He ran his fingers through his hair out of nervousness, causing him to look at his left hand and wiggle his fingers again. This wasn't going to get old too soon after being without his hand for over 300 years. He was slightly embarrassed when the door opened and he was caught wiggling his fingers at them. He lowered his hand and nodded "Hello."

"Killian, hello!" Archie greeted warmly. "I see the journey was a success!"

"A complete success," Killian said, holding up the styrofoam cup. "Am I late?"

"No, you're right on time. Please come in," Archie said, gesturing him inside. Killian entered slowly and nodded towards Belle. "Belle, this is the man I told you about that is going to join our session today. His name is Killian Jones. I think his being here will help alot with your future sessions." Killian sat down in the chair opposite the couch, leaning over to shake Belle's hand before sitting down completely. She smiled politely at him and smoothed her dress out of nervousness.

"So, what can you tell me about myself?" Belle asked. "Usually people who come into my sessions try to tell me who I was."

"Actually, that's not why I'm here," Killian said. "I've actually come to apologize to you." Belle looked at him rather confused.

"Apologize? I don't understand."

"Belle, I was the one who caused you to forget who you are. I took away your memories by hurting you, causing you to cross the town line," Killian said. Belle grew suddenly uncomfortable. After a year of explaining things, she still didn't understand the concept or the importance of the town line, but she did know what an attacker was. "Belle, I am not the man I was before. I've lost my need for revenge, I have a family- a growing family actually. But the one biggest regret that I have is letting an innocent person like you get caught in the crossfire of my anger and hatred and for that, I can not begin to say I'm sorry enough." Belle shifted in her seat.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Killian looked at Archie, who nodded.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry and hope that someday you'll believe my sincerity," Killian said. "And to give you this." He picked up the cup he had sitting on the floor and slid it across the table to her. She looked at it questioningly. "It's iced tea. It's your favorite. It's just a small gesture in a long road to paying for my mistake."

"With an iced tea?" Belle said, taking it.

"It actually was harder to come by than you'd think," Killian said with a smile. Archie and Killian both tried to hide holding their breath as Belle took a sip. Suddenly, the door swung open, causing Archie and Killian to jump from their seats.

"Mr. Gold, I'm in the middle of a session," Archie said, standing in front of Belle.

"What is that pirate doing here? I saw him come in here during Belle's time. What does he want with her?" Gold said angrily. "You are not to go near her. After everything I've done to protect your wife, the first thing you do is go after Belle again? I knew you haven't changed!" Gold sprang at him, locking Killian against the wall. Killian did not fight back, but when Gold started to press his cane against his throat, Killian wished he had.

"Mr. Gold, stop!" Archie said, trying to pull him off of Killian, but Gold just batted him away.

"Stop!" Belle pleaded.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm just doing what I should have done long ago," Gold said, pressing his cane into Killian's throat harder.

"Rumplestiltskin, STOP!" Belle yelled. Gold stopped instantly and lowered his cane. Killian dropped to his knees and brought his hand to his throat, rubbing his neck to relieve the pain.

"Belle?" Gold said, slowly approaching her. She held her hand out to him, which he instantly took and brought her hand to his lips. "You remember me?" She nodded and he quickly embraced her, kissing her cheek and her lips. They both laughed with joy and held each other. "You came back to me." Archie and Killian kept their distance, letting them enjoy their reunion, until finally Gold turned to Killian. "You did this?"

"Getting my hand back wasn't my only plan. I brought back enough water from Lake Nostos with the intent to bring back Belle's memories," Killian explained. "I had several reasons, all of them sincere, I assure you."

"Why?"

"Let's just say, one thing Emma taught me- you can't live alone in your anger forever. And now that I've been brought out of that dark place, it's something I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy," he said to Gold with a smile as he held out his hand. Gold stared at it for a moment, then offered his left hand instead. Killian shook it with his new hand- it was a silent promise between the two of them. The feud was over. "I hope you still remember my apology," Killian said to Belle.

"I do, Hook," she said.

"I don't expect your forgiveness immediately," he said.

"The iced tea was a start," Belle said with a smile.

"Indeed, lass," he said, heading for the door. "Make sure you drink all your iced tea. I had to travel across worlds to get it." Killian winked at her and then shut the door. He let out a big sigh of relief. That had gone better than he played out in his mind- at least Gold didn't kill him before the water worked. As he reached the street, Emma was waiting outside next to her bug. He ran over to her and spun her around, kissing her as he placed her back down on the ground.

"I take it that the water worked," she said.

"Yeah," Killian nodded. "I think we can all go back to normal now."

"We're having twins," Emma reminded him. "Normal is about to get pretty crazy."

"It's the kind of crazy I'm more than willing to handle, as long as I'm with you. And as long as you do all the diaper changes yourself," he said. Emma laughed at him and shook her head. "Did you give Jefferson my package?"

"Yup," Emma said. "Grace loved her surprise."

"And the dwarf?"

"Sneezy is already working in the mines," she reported. As they turned to get in the car, Gold approached them.

"I um...wanted to thank you again, for what you did for Belle."

"Emma told me what you did while I was away. Thank you," Killian replied, putting his arm around Emma's waist. "For protecting her, for helping me protect her."

"Well, as Emma said, she's family now," Gold said, a little stiffly, but what else could you expect.

"Does that make us family?" Killian asked with a smile.

"Don't push it, Hook," he said, turning to return to Belle.

"I guess it's too early to call him Uncle Rumple, huh?" Killian whispered to his wife. Emma laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek before getting in the car.

* * *

"We're coming about, mate! Get the sails," Killian called to Henry as they pulled back into the marina.

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Henry said as he ran around the ship. Emma had fallen asleep below deck on their short trip back from the island offshore from Storybrooke. After they dropped anchor, Killian went below to wake up Emma while he let Henry play with the wheel. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed a stray strand of hair off her forehead before kissing her. She stirred a little before her eyes fluttered open. She smiled up at him and reached out for his hand.

"Are you okay, darling?" he asked her softly as he rubbed her stomach.

"Yeah, I'm just tired all the time," she said. "Once the ship started moving again, that was it- I needed to lay down."

"We just pulled into the marina. Do you need a minute to get up?" Emma groaned.

"I can't get up. Can I just sleep here tonight?" she asked, burying her face in the pillow. Killian stood up and bent down to scoop her up in his arms. He carried her to the deck, making sure not to bump her head.

"Is my Mom okay?" Henry asked, jumping down the stairs to join them.

"No, she's fine she's just a bit..." Killian said before noticing that Emma was already asleep on his shoulder. "Tired. Can you open the car door for me?" Henry took the keys out of Emma's pocket and ran ahead to open the door of the bug. Killian gently laid her in the passenger seat and took the keys from Henry.

"Can I drive?" Henry asked optimistically.

"No, mate. But you can do the dishes when we get home," he said with a smile. Henry groaned as he jumped in the backseat of the car. Emma didn't wake up until they got back to the loft, but Killian insisted on carrying her upstairs anyway. Killian and Henry took care of the dishes while she relaxed on the couch. After finishing in the kitchen, Henry sat by Emma while he finished his schoolwork while Killian sat down to try to fix one of Henry's remote control cars. Emma surveyed the scene and sighed happily. "What is it, darling?"

"This. Normal life. It feels like it's been forever since we had a moment like this," Emma said thoughtfully. "No curses, no portals, just being home. Can every night be like this?"

"I can't make any promises once the babies arrive. I don't think we'll ever get a calm moment after that," Killian said, tossing her a smile as he looked up from his project.

"I'll help with the babies. How hard can they be?" Henry said. Killian and Emma exchanged looks.

"We'll all just see, won't we?" Killian said, giving Emma a wink. Emma helped get Henry ready for bed, then Killian came in to tell one of his legendary bedtime stories. Emma and Henry loved when he would get so animated. "And then the evil crocodile jumped at the handsome prince and snapped at him with his horrible jaws." Killian jumped on the bed at Henry and Emma as if attacking them.

"Crocodile? That's grandpa!" Henry said with a laugh. Killian shrugged and continued with his story. When he finished, they all were laughing, as Killian's stories usually ended up. They said goodnight to Henry and left to go to their own bedroom. Emma laid down on the bed and Killian snuggled in around her, putting his head on her chest.

"Hey! Isn't this supposed to be the other way around?"

"Can't hear you, too comfortable," Killian said, closing his eyes with a large grin on his face. Emma absentmindedly rubbed his hair. Killian nuzzled into her more and put his hand on her stomach. "When do I start feeling them moving?"

"I read anywhere between 16 and 22 weeks, so we have a while. I will most likely feel it before you do," Emma stated. After a while, Killian sat up and told her to roll on her stomach.

"Your turn," he said as he began to rub her back. Emma moaned with pleasure as he worked the knots out in her back.

"Wow, why haven't you done this before?"

"I only had one hand, I was scared to offer," he said, kneading into her a bit more. Emma moaned again as he moved to her lower back. "You need to stop doing that, darling. It's making me want to do something else."

"Just a bit longer and I'll think about it," Emma said, closing her eyes and enjoying the backrub. When she let out another moan, Killian flipped her to her back.

"Sorry, can't take it anymore," he said before devouring her lips. Emma laughed as he kissed her, then joined him in matching his passion. "Are you feeling well enough for this?" She answered him by kissing him again and pulling at his shirt and running his hands along his back.

"I love you," she said in between kisses.

"I love you too."

**(coming soon- epilogue)**


	15. Chapter 15 - Epilogue

Snow and David knocked on the door eagerly. Henry answered the door, greeting them with hugs and smiles. Emma was laying on the couch exhausted, and Mary-Margaret was instantly at her side.

"We won't stay long, we just wanted to drop off some dinner for you," she said as David put the dishes on the counter behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"More tired than anything," Emma said, sitting up a little, trying not to show the pain. A small noise came from behind them and everyone's head turned toward where it was coming from. Killian was walking down the steps, an infant in each arm, beaming with pride at the cargo in his arms. Emma couldn't help but admit that she was breathless each time she saw Killian with their children in his arms. Killian bent down near Emma to try to hand off one, but the baby was instantly scooped up by Snow.

"I think she needs some Grandma time for a minute," Snow said with a wink. Margaret Nora Jones looked very much like her grandmother and mother. Maggie had the same face and chin, but dark hair like her father. Snow nuzzled her granddaughter's cheek with her nose, and Maggie cuddled into her in response.

"Okay, I need one. Where's my boy," David said, holding his arms out for the second twin. Killian handed over his son, a little saddened only because he always wanted to hold his babies. David laid the infant over his shoulder and rubbed his back. "How's my little prince?" William David Jones looked exactly like Killian. Same dark hair and striking blue eyes, but David always joked that William had his strength. Emma always joked that it looked like she had nothing to do with William, but Killian was always quick to point out that William had Emma's smile.

Henry went to sit on the couch next to Emma, who rubbed his hair as Henry put his head on Emma's shoulder. Henry had been an above and beyond big brother, always right there to take care of the babies. It made Emma feel guilty that she would get to spend so many milestone moments with the twins, but never got to experience them with Henry. But Henry would always reply that they would make more memories together to make up for it. Emma prayed that sentiment would continue through those ever so close teenage years. Henry leaned over toward Snow and gently rubbed Maggie's hair, who cooed in response.

"You love your big brother, don't you?" Snow said to her granddaughter.

"I hope she does," Henry said.

"They both do," David chimed in as he paced the floor with William over his shoulder. David stopped short as a watery sound came from over his shoulder.

"Ooh, batten down the hatches, mate," Killian said, grabbing a burp cloth and wiping his son's mouth. David handed William back to Killian as he wiped the small remnants off his shirt. Fortunately, most of it had gotten on the floor. David grabbed a nearby paper towel and cleaned up the floor.

"Guess I have to get used to that," David said, smiling at Snow, who rubbed her own enlarged stomach. The Charmings were expecting their own bundle of joy in just two months now. As much as David wanted to know if it was a boy or girl, Snow insisted on keeping some things the old fashion way. Although at first it was hard for Emma to think that her sibling would get to grow up with their parents even though she hadn't, she knew that ultimately the most important thing was that they were all together as a family now.

"You get used to it after the first 20 times, which is usually one kid all on day one," Killian joked. "Or maybe that was for ten each in our case...I don't know. How many kids do we have, love?" Emma chuckled softly as she gestured to take Maggie back.

"Sorry, it's feeding time," she said, taking her daughter back into her arms.

"And that's our cue to leave," David said. He leaned over toward Emma and gave both her and Maggie a kiss on the forehead. He leaned over to kiss William as well, and Killian flashed him a smile.

"Where's mine?" David gave him a small shove in response and then pulled Henry in for a hug. Snow said her goodbyes as well and David ushered her out the door. "Alright, mate," he said to Henry. "Why don't you round up some plates?" Henry went to set the table as Killian laid William in the bouncer. Emma nursed Maggie then took a short break to eat a little before she went to feed William. Killian reheated her dinner for her, which by then was already room temperature. Emma missed having fresh hot meals, but when your babies need you, dinner seems to be put on hold. Thank God for microwaves, how did they do it in the Enchanted Forest? Maggie started fussing while Henry and Killian were finishing up, so Killian scooped her up in one arm while trying to clean with the other.

"I guess you're still skilled at doing things one handed," Emma joked. Killian flashed a smile back to her, and silently thanked the gods for allowing him to have two hands again so he could handle situations like this. Once the kitchen was cleared, Killian settled down with Maggie while Henry insisted on holding William while he finished his homework. Emma enjoyed the last bites of her dinner while her family was settled around her.

As the evening wore on, Henry eagerly got ready for bed so Killian could tell them stories. He loved that his bedtime story routine now included holding his brother and sister. In fact, Henry insisted on it. Emma was amazed that Killian still had the energy to tell stories the way he did after taking care of three kids and her all day. With a jump and a flourish, Killian ended his bedtime story and William howled in response to seeing his Daddy jump around. Everyone laughed. Henry gave his siblings back to his parents and got under the covers. Killian and Emma got the twins ready for bed together, had another round of feedings, then Killian took both babies as Emma went to get a change of clothes.

"I think we're starting to settle into a routine now," Emma called from the bathroom. "Not bad for being a family of five for only two weeks." Killian agreed weakly from the other room in response. "I think I can handle a few hours at home myself tomorrow while Henry is at school if you want to go do some work on your ship. Would you want to do..." Emma stopped when she came back into the room. Killian was propped up on the pillows with the twins cradled in each arm, all of them asleep. A tear came to Emma's eyes when she saw this, remembering how it felt like forever ago that he once one-handed husband dreamed of this moment- a baby safe in each of their Daddy's arms. She slowly tried to take Maggie out of his arms, but this made him jolt awake. "It's okay, it's just me, sweetheart," she whispered. Killian nodded sleepily and allowed Emma to take their daughter, but then sleepily gestured for her to be next to him. Emma curled back into his arm while holding her daughter and leaned over to give each of her men a kiss. Emma looked out the window at the single star that shined in the night sky. Here she was, at home safe with her husband, their babies, with their oldest child asleep in the next room. It was her greatest wish come true.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone for reading. "Journey to Completion" feels aptly named to me. I had a harder time writing this one and was more than once tempted to switch my focus to writing other stories. But I'm glad how this one turned out, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

Reviews, please!


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